


so if we knew all along

by icecreamhour



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wedding Planner, Emotional Infidelity, Jinyoung is engaged to someone else, M/M, Minor Im Jaebum | JB/Mark Tuan, Pining, Wedding Planner Jackson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25753345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icecreamhour/pseuds/icecreamhour
Summary: jackson is one of the most highly sought after wedding planners in the city.he's made a name for himself, and his clients demand a lot from him.jackson always goes above and beyond to meet everyone's expectations.he’s just never had a problem until jinyoung hires him.
Relationships: Park Jinyoung/Jackson Wang
Comments: 43
Kudos: 146





	1. something old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like mentioned in the tags, jinyoung spends a good portion of this fic engaged to someone else.  
> no physical cheating happens, but there is very much an emotional tie.

Jackson has to drive out to Santa Monica for lunch. It’s not bad, it’s just that Jackson doesn’t want to spend his afternoon in traffic going back to his office. There’s a reason why his office is downtown, because he’s central to a lot of the common places where his clients want to meet. This time around, he guesses that his client has a certain fondness for the beach. It’s predictable. When Jackson gets clients who want outdoor weddings, they tend to pick meeting places where they want their wedding to take place. Beach weddings always involve some fancy seaside restaurant to woo Jackson into taking the job. 

If they have money, he’ll take the job. 

It’s a struggle to find parking, and Jackson ends up parking on a side street a few blocks away. He’s walking, trying to find the restaurant and staring down at his phone, that he doesn’t even notice the speeding car driving by. It’s all a blur.

It takes one quick second, and suddenly Jackson is being pushed to the ground by a pair of strong arms. He drops his phone on the asphalt, and Jackson groans the moment he sees that the screen is cracked. Jackson doesn’t even mind that his cheek got a bit scraped up, feeling the sting on his face. He places his palms against the ground, and tries to lift himself up. 

“Here, take my hand,” a voice tells him. 

Jackson blinks up, staring at the man who supposedly saved him. He hesitantly takes his hand, and the man helps Jackson up. It takes Jackson a moment to collect himself, picking up his phone off the ground before he can properly get up. When he finally manages to stand up, he brushes off his palms against his pants, and finally gets a good look at his so-called hero. 

“Are you okay?” the man asks. His voice is sweet like honey, and it’s only now that Jackson notices how handsome he is. Everything about him is so pretty. His eyes, his lips, and the way that he carries himself. Jackson feels his knees wobble a little, and the stranger reaches out, letting Jackson balance himself against him. 

“I’ll be fine,” Jackson says, brushing him off. “I have to get going or I’ll be late for a client meeting.” 

“I can walk you there,” the man suggests, still trying to help Jackson. It’s overly friendly, and Jackson tries to brush off the advance. 

“I’ll be fine,” Jackson insists again. “Really, I can get there on my own.” 

He feigns a smile, and immediately turns away before the stranger can ask Jackson if he’s sure he can get there on his own. Jackson walks quickly across the street, and only stares at his phone once he reaches the sidewalk safely. He can barely make out the map on his phone with the cracked screen, and Jackson somehow manages to make it to the restaurant a whole fifteen minutes before his meeting. 

Jackson tells the hostess that he’s here for a reservation under Park, for three. He gets seated in no time at a table by the window, and Jackson just sits and waits. Jackson tries to stare at his phone to keep himself occupied, but he can’t see anything past the crack in the screen and sighs before pocketing his phone again. 

He drums his fingers against the table while he sifts through the menu. He’s not really interested in the fusion of the food here, a mix between American and sushi. Jackson decides on the spicy tuna rolls before closing his menu again, and tapping it against the table. He takes a sip of the water, and winces when he remembers the scratch on his face he’d forgotten to clean off. 

He’s about to get up to find the bathroom, until he sees the waitress coming back. The man behind her is presumably his client, and Jackson quickly tries to wipe his face off with the cloth napkin on the table. Jackson thinks he gets most of the blood off, and places the napkin underneath his thigh so he won’t drop it when he stands up. 

“Mr. Wang, the Parks are here,” the waitress greets. 

Jackson stands up from his seat, and when he meets the eyes of his new client, he’s surprised to see the same man who saved him from the car on the street. 

“Hello again,” the man smiles. “I’m Jinyoung.” 

“Oh,” Jackson says, feeling a little breathless. Of course someone as handsome as Jinyoung would be engaged to be married. “Hello.” 

Jinyoung sits in the seat across from him, and the waitress refills Jackson’s water. She starts talking about some of the menu items, but Jackson doesn’t listen. He’s trying not to stare up at Jinyoung as he flips through the menu, but his eyes are drawn to him. Jinyoung’s brows are furrowed as he flips through the pages, and he looks up at the waitress every now and then, nodding along to her suggestions. Jackson thinks he spaces out, because Jinyoung is suddenly looking at him, telling him to make his order. 

“Sorry,” Jackson shakes his head. “I’ll just have the spicy tuna rolls.” 

“Good choice,” the waitress smiles. “Your food should be out shortly.” 

After she’s gone, Jackson tries not to wince when he accidentally brushes his hand up against the scratch on his cheek. He thinks most of the blood is gone, but Jackson can’t be too sure. He still can’t even check on his phone camera, because of the busted screen. He wasn’t one for traditional notebooks, and Jackson did rely on using his phone to take notes during client meetings. 

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Jinyoung asks, motioning towards Jackson’s cheek. “It didn’t look that good, and I’m sure it didn’t help that I basically landed on top of you to push you out of the way of that oncoming car.” 

“It’s fine,” Jackson shrugs. “I’ll clean it up at home and I’ll live,” he smiles. “So are we waiting for your fiance?” Jackson asks. 

“Ah, she’s not coming,” Jinyoung shakes his head. “She’s in a pretty popular band, I don’t know if you’ve heard of them.” 

“That all-girl rock band?” Jackson asks. “Midnight Crush, was it?” 

“That’s the one,” Jinyoung nods. “She’s the drummer. Seulgi,” Jinyoung smiles. “She’s usually pretty busy with touring and recording, so she won’t be able to help a lot with the preparations.” 

“That’s too bad,” Jackson frowns. “I usually work with couples in full until the very end.” 

“I don’t mind,” Jinyoung insists. “I have a really open schedule as a freelancer, and I have no budget for this wedding.” 

“Let’s talk about dates, then,” Jackson goes on. “If I’m going to take you on as a client, what’s your expected date for the wedding?” 

“August 27th,” Jinyoung tells him. “Three months from now.” 

“Three months?” Jackson replies. “That’s a bit of a tight squeeze. It’s doable, but, don’t expect to get all your first choices.” 

“I don’t mind,” Jinyoung shakes his head. “Seulgi and I…” Jinyoung trails off. “We just want to get married.” 

“Do you have any dream places in mind?” Jackson asks, trying to move forward with planning. 

“I’ve always wanted to get married on the beach,” Jinyoung admits. 

That’s the moment Jackson was waiting for. The predictable moment. It’s fitting for a beachside restaurant meeting, for Jinyoung to want to get married at the beach. They were already sitting at the window with a beachside view, and Jackson stares out the window for a moment. It reminds him of his own wedding that was supposed to happen. He planned something outdoor, on green grass overlooking a small lake. It was in a nice, quaint park and set for an intimate ceremony with his closest friends and family. It didn’t happen, obviously, because Jackson’s fingers are ringless. It’s out of habit that he starts rubbing his finger where his engagement ring used to sit. 

“Jackson?” Jinyoung asks. “Is that doable?” 

“Hm?” Jackson hums, still a little spaced out. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” 

“For you to take me on as a client,” Jinyoung repeats, his voice loud and clear. “Is that possible?” 

“I don’t see why not if you don’t have any budget restraints for this time period,” Jackson figures. “It’ll be a bit easier to get venues sorted if you don’t have any budget limitations.” 

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about this,” Jinyoung exclaims. “Everyone said it’d be impossible to get a meeting with you, and I want the best for Seulgi.” 

Jackson fakes a smile. 

“Of course, I only do the best,” Jackson replies. “Do you mind if I record this meeting?” Jackson asks, pulling out his phone. “I usually take notes but I busted the screen from earlier.” 

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Jinyoung says, waving his hand. “I’m sorry about your phone, though. Is there any chance I could buy you a new one?” 

“I know my phone is pretty old but,” Jackson shakes his head. “Please don’t buy me a new one.” 

“It was my fault—” 

“It’s fine, I promise,” Jackson fakes a smile again. “Now let’s get some of your other dream plans going, shall we?” 

The food arrives shortly after, and Jackson spends more time nodding along to Jinyoung’s plans. Jackson has to write them all out later, and considering a lot of Jinyoung’s plans, three months was entirely doable for the kind of wedding that Jinyong wants. 

Jackson can’t decide if it’s easier or more difficult when there’s only one person doing all the planning. Jackson has seen couples argue over every minor detail. From the flowers, table settings, and even down to the color of the napkins. Eggshell, cream, or pearl. It was always the ultimate test, just to see if the couple would even make it to their wedding day. 

Jackson wonders if Jinyoung and Seulgi will even make it down the aisle. 

The rest of lunch goes by without any issue, and Jackson is happy to listen while he gets his meal paid for in an expensive restaurant. He brings up his napkin just to wipe off his lips, and he nearly misses the moment when Jinyoung gets up to excuse himself from the table to answer a phone call. 

Jackson tries not to watch, but Jinyoung’s only standing a few feet away, looking frustrated on the call. It looks like he’s trying to explain himself, and when Jinyoung looks back in his direction, Jackson diverts his eyes back to his empty plate and takes a sip of his water to make himself look occupied. He assumes it’s his fiance. Seulgi. Jackson’s seen the band go on tour before. BamBam had taken him to their show at the Forum, and they were amazing. Jackson wonders how hard it must be, to date someone who’s always on the move. 

Jinyoung makes his way back to his seat, slumping down in his chair in front of Jackson. He sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. Jackson takes another sip of his water, trying not to stir any conversation.

“Are you dating anyone, Jackson?” Jinyoung asks. 

“Ah,” Jackson puts down the glass of water and shakes his head. “No, I’m not.” 

Jackson hasn’t dated anyone. Not since his fiance left him at the altar on their goddamn wedding day. He tries not to think about it, but his career path is reminding him of it at every possible opportunity. 

“I just,” Jinyoung sighs. “I wish she’d be more involved other than telling me to do whatever I want.” 

“Listen, if you want my honest opinion here,” Jackson says, looking Jinyoung in the eye. “Planning things together can also be just as difficult. I’ve seen couples argue over napkin colors and silverware. If she’s not fussed, maybe it could be a good thing for the both of you.” 

“Yeah…” Jinyoung nods. “Maybe.” Jackson watches as Jinyoung bites down on his lower lip, staring outside the window. He wonders if there’s anything else that happened in that phone conversation, because it seems like Jinyoung isn’t willing to let something go. 

“So, when should we meet next?” Jackson asks. “I’m probably free in a week, since my only other wedding right now is in six months.” 

“Next week sounds good,” Jinyoung nods. “I can come to your office this time.” 

“Sounds good,” Jackson smiles. “I’ll see you then.” 

* * *

Jackson skips out on driving home and sticks around on the beach. He sits in the sand, and tries not to think about his busted phone. He’s had the same one since 2016, and Jackson thinks it’s a sign he should probably get a new one. His phone was still filled with memories. Not particularly good ones or bad ones, just all the photos of his ex that he couldn’t bring himself to delete. All of his important files are saved onto Dropbox or Google drive anyways, and Jackson stares down at the cracked screen. 

He already emailed himself the audio file from his meeting with Jinyoung, and Jackson stares out into the ocean waves, trying not to think about making a very poor decision. He wiped the phone back to its factory settings anyways, and there was nothing useful for it anymore. Jackson holds his phone in one hand, and on impulse, Jackson throws— hurls it into the water as hard as he can. Jackson regrets it immediately, but he also feels a little relieved. If the screen hadn’t cracked, he probably would’ve held onto the phone forever. He would’ve held onto those old memories for as long as he could, even if he got left at the altar. 

“That was probably a terrible decision for the environment,” a familiar voice comments. 

“Yeah,” Jackson turns, and looks up, only to lock eyes with Jinyoung. “You’re still here?” 

“I like the beach,” Jinyoung shrugs. “Plus it’s not a bad time to wait until sunset to take photos,” he adds, and sits next to Jackson in the sand. 

“The phone was just old,” Jackson says out loud. “Too many memories attached to it.” 

“Memories are nice, aren’t they?” Jinyoung asks. Jackson watches as Jinyoung brings the camera up to his eyes, and snaps a photo of the beach. “It’s why I like taking photos.” 

Jackson doesn’t reply right away. He stares back out into the ocean waves, watching as they crash against the sand. The beach isn’t too crowded since it’s a weekday and Jackson thinks he could enjoy the breeze for a while longer. 

He spaces out for a second, until he hears the sound of a camera clicking. Jackson turns to look at Jinyoung again, only to find Jinyoung taking a photo of him. Jinyoung lowers his camera and smiles sheepishly. 

“Not those memories,” Jackson says, finally answering Jinyoung’s question. “Not a problem you should have to listen to, anyways.” 

“Why not?” Jinyoung pushes. “We’re going to spend a lot of time together, what’s the harm in getting to know each other?” 

“It’s not exactly a happy story,” Jackson admits. “Not when your fiance leaves you on your wedding day.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jinyoung puts his camera down in his lap, and looks over at Jackson. “It must be hard.” 

“It’s fine,” Jackson shrugs. “The job is worth it, after I see all those people get their happy endings. If I can’t have one, it’s nice to do it for someone else.” 

“Have you already ruled yourself out?” Jinyoung asks. 

“On what?” Jackson replies. 

“A happy ending,” Jinyoung continues. “You don’t think you’ll get one?” 

“Not really, no,” Jackson shakes his head. “I’m not looking for one.” 

  
  
  



	2. something new

When Jackson gets to his office the next morning, he’s surprised to find someone outside his door waiting for him. It’s a delivery man, holding a small package. Jackson supposes he has to sign for it, and the delivery guy hands him the clipboard. 

“What is this?” Jackson asks, and exchanges the clipboard for the small box. 

“New phone,” the guy shrugs. “Have a good day.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson says, watching as the delivery guy returns to the elevator. “You too.” 

Jackson holds the box under his arm and unlocks the door to his office. It’s a small space, one with only two desks since Yugyeom — his receptionist-slash-assistant hasn’t shown up yet. Jackson’s not too hard on him, mostly because he knows Yugyeom is busy with grad school. He sets the box on his desk, and wonders who even ordered it for him. Jackson pays it no mind, and turns on his computer to check his emails for the day. 

All his calendars are in sync, despite Jackson’s phone being broken. He’s glad all his back-ups and drives actually work, and Jackson gets to replying to other clients and vendors for his other wedding. Everything was finalized, and Jackson has one wedding to go to this weekend to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

Yugyeom finally arrives shortly after Jackson finishes typing up one last email, and Jackson watches as Yugyeom slumps down in his chair across the room. Yugyeom sighs, blowing air up into his bangs and Jackson just stares back at him. 

He still doesn’t say anything, and Yugyeom sets his laptop against the table. It’s old, and a bit beat up, but Jackson is still watching while Yugyeom starts typing at lightning speed. A few minutes pass, and Yugyeom stops typing only to slam his laptop back shut again. 

“Is everything okay?” Jackson finally asks. 

“Advisor wouldn’t answer my email,” Yugyeom huffs. “Whatever, I wrote up to my program asking for a new one. I think it’ll be fine.” 

“Good,” Jackson nods. “That’s good.” 

“What’s that?” Yugyeom says, pointing towards the box on Jackson’s desk. 

“New phone,” Jackson replies, and turns to look back at his computer screen. 

“New phone?” Yugyeom gasps, and immediately runs over to Jackson’s desk. He grabs the pair of scissors sitting on one of Jackson’s pencil cups, and opens the package for him. Inside underneath the bubble wrap, Jackson watches as Yugyeom pulls out the latest iPhone model. “You finally bought this?” Yugyeom asks. 

“No,” Jackson answers. “I broke my old phone yesterday, and I never ordered a new one.” 

“Is there a note?” Yugyeom asks, looking inside the box. He empties it, but nothing falls out. 

“Can you set it up for me, maybe? Jackson asks. “I have a photographer I need to bother.” 

“Have fun bothering Jaebeom,” Yugyeom replies. “I’ll have it set up really fast.” 

Yugyeom turns away to return to his desk, fiddling with Jackson’s new phone. He still has no idea who would have sent it, and Jackson looks at his computer screen to text Jaebeom from his computer. He spams Jaebeom’s phone, sending a series of messages asking Jaebeom to meet at his office. Jaebeom doesn’t live too far, but knowing him, Jackson assumes he’s a little too busy with Mark. 

**Jaebeom** : ok i’m walking im on my way i’ll be there in like 10   
**Jackson** : finally 

Jaebeom was Jackson’s go to photographer— being the one he’d recommended to every couple. It’s not necessarily a partnership, and Jaebeom isn’t on Jackson’s payroll, but Jaebeom and Jackson like to do favors for each other. They’re both set to attend the wedding together on Saturday, since it’s work for the both of them. 

Jackson decides to meet outside the building, mostly because it’s nice today before the summer heat arrives. He pulls his sunglasses down over his eyes, and like Jaebeom said, it took him ten minutes to arrive. He’s dressed in all black, baggy clothes and Jackson senses that they’re from the night before. 

“Here you are,” Jackson comments. “Late night?” 

“Shut up,” Jaebeom groans. “Why are we outside? It’s too bright.” 

“I knew it,” Jackson laughs. “Let’s just sit in the lobby then, Yugyeom might be a little too nosy.” 

Jaebeom follows Jackson inside the lobby of the building. It’s a basic set up, and the lobby at least has two chairs next to the elevator that rarely anyone ever uses. Jackson sits down in one of the chairs, and Jaebeom sits in the one next to him. Jackson slips his sunglasses off, and turns to look at Jaebeom again. Jackson notices how tired Jaebeom looks. Jaebeom blinks slowly, and Jackson wonders if Jaebeom just rolled out of bed and made his way here. 

“What’s the news?” Jaebeom asks. 

“Wedding in three months. Park-Kang party. You think you can shoot for them?” Jackson tells him. 

“Wait, Park and Kang?” Jaebeom asks again. “You mean, Jinyoung and Seulgi actually hired you?” 

“You know them?” Jackson replies, looking confused. 

“I know Jinyoung,” Jaebeom says, and Jackson thinks he might look a little smug. “We might run in the same circles.” 

“Cut the bullshit,” Jackson pushes. “You know something, don’t you?” 

“I mean, I knew him before I met Mark,” Jaebeom shrugs. “We may have hooked up a couple times.” 

“He—” Jackson looks confused, and remembers lunch with Jinyoung. He said he was with Seulgi for a long time, and when Jackson starts thinking about it, there’s a real possibility that… Jackson shakes his head, knowing Jaebeom would never do that. “I thought he was with Seulgi since like, high school.” 

“Oh,” Jaebeom nods. “Yeah, but like, there was a time where they kind of… gave each other a break? For an entire summer while Seulgi was on tour.” 

“Huh,” Jackson wonders out loud. He’s not one to judge, but if it works for them, Jackson thinks maybe they’ll figure out how to make it down the aisle somehow. 

“God, he was so big I thought I was going to pass out,” Jaebeom groans, and leans against the wall. “Like—” 

“I think you can spare me the details,” Jackson sighs, trying to unlearn everything that Jaebeom just told him. “So can you shoot their wedding, or not?” 

“I mean, depends if they want me too,” Jaebeom shrugs. “You’ll suggest my name as always, right?” 

“Would they have any reason to say no?” Jackson asks. 

“No,” Jaebeom shakes his head. “We still talk every so often. Just as friends. I also do some shoots for Seulgi’s band. I’m surprised that they haven’t suggested me as a photographer to _you_ ,” Jaebeom adds. “Is this all you wanted to talk about?” 

“Mm,” Jackson nods. “Also, I kind of threw my phone into the ocean yesterday, so if you called me, uh, that’s why.” 

“Do I want to know?” Jaebeom asks. “I’ll see you on Saturday though, right? We’ll ride there together?” 

“I’ll save it for another time,” Jackson says, avoiding the question. “And I’ll see you Saturday. I just got a new phone.” 

“Now that business is settled,” Jaebeom says, and steals Jackson’s sunglasses. “I’ll be going back to bed.” 

Jaebeom waves goodbye one last time, and Jackson smiles back as Jaebeom leaves through the doors in the front lobby. The sun was still glaring through the glass doors, and Jackson sighs again. He’s not one to get particularly close to his clients, and Jackson keeps people at arm's length. It’s not helpful that he knows now that Jinyoung might run in the same circles as Jaebeom, and by association, now Jackson. 

He opts to take the stairs back up to his office instead of the elevator, and runs up two at a time. He’s skipped the gym for the last few days, after he’s a little too strung out for getting the last minute details for the Saturday wedding down in his books. When Jackson returns to his office, he finds Yugyeom sitting at his desk, playing with Jackson’s new phone. 

Yugyeom sits there for a while, not even noticing Jackson in the doorway. He’s taking selfies with Jackson’s new phone, and after a minute, Jackson coughs. 

“Oh,” Yugyeom chokes, and places the phone face down against Jackson’s desk. “I didn’t know you were back.” 

“Short meeting,” Jackson replies. “Jaebeom went to go back to sleep.” 

“It’s like,” Yugyeom says, picking up Jackson’s phone again. “Almost noon?” 

“Yeah, I don’t question his sleeping habits, either,” Jackson laughs. “You know he and Mark are basically nocturnal.” 

“I’ll be going back to my desk then,” Yugyeom stands up, and passes Jackson’s new phone off to him. “Enjoy the new phone, you have a new email.” 

Jackson takes the phone, and opens his inbox. Yugyeom, as Jackson’s assistant, naturally knew all his passwords. Jackson wouldn’t be surprised if Yugyeom had every one of these memorized or stored somewhere, because he’s saved Jackson’s ass one too many times. He sees the unread message in his inbox, and it’s from Jinyoung. 

_Jackson —_

_I know you said not to buy you a new phone, but I felt really bad after what happened yesterday. I hope your cheek is fine, and I’ll see you at our next meeting._

_Take care,_ _  
__Jinyoung_

Jackson doesn’t even know what to say, and stares at the email for what seems like forever. He hadn’t even known Jinyoung for a full day, and he saved his life, and bought him a new phone. Jackson feels like he can’t even accept it now, and he tries to look for the empty box on his desk. He opens the drawer, only to find the charger cord neatly wrapped along with his old charger. Jackson has a spare pair of headphones in there, too, but no box in sight. 

“Where’s the box?” Jackson asks, and closes his drawer. 

“I got rid of it,” Yugyeom shrugs. “You didn’t need it, did you?” 

“No, no,” Jackson shakes his head. “It’s just. My client sent me this phone.” 

“Which one?” Yugyeom asks. “The Lee’s? Or is it the Bennet party?” 

“My newest one,” Jackson sighs. “Jinyoung.” 

“Oh, Jaebeom knows him,” Yugyeom replies. “How’d you break your phone anyways?” 

“I almost got hit by a car,” Jackson says casually. “Jinyoung pushed me out of the way, and I cracked the screen on the asphalt.” 

“You mean you almost died and you didn’t tell me?” Yugyeom runs over to Jackson’s desk, and cups his face in both of his hands. “What is this on your cheek? Do you need to go to the hospital?” 

“I’m fine,” Jackson pushes his hands away, and rubs at his own face. “I didn’t know you cared that much,” Jackson grumbles. 

“Well,” Yugyeom pats Jackson’s head, and sits on his desk. “If you died, I wouldn’t have a paycheck.” 

“Thanks, Yugyeom,” Jackson deadpans. “Should we just go get lunch for the day and close the office? It’s boring.” 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Yugyeom gets off of Jackson’s desk, and grabs his bag off the floor. 

* * *

Jackson and Yugyeom spend a lot of time walking around trying to find a good place to eat. They’re not in the mood for anything particular, and Jackson is fine to wander around for a bit before they settle down. Since he’s been skipping the gym, Jackson feels like he could use the time to get out and about other than sitting in his office waiting for his clients to fire off random questions that he can easily do on the go. Most of everything was already confirmed for Saturday’s wedding, and everything was good to go. 

After wandering for a while, Yugyeom finally manages to drag Jackson into a small cafe since he’d grown tired of trying to find a place where they both could eat. It’s a place that makes simple sandwiches and flavored lemonade, and Yugyeom takes on the duty of ordering at the counter while Jackson finds a table for them to sit at. 

Jackson places his bag on the chair next to him, and pulls out his new phone. He was still getting used to the bigger screen, and he finds navigating his emails a lot easier. Saturday’s bride just flooded his inbox, having a last minute crisis wondering if the flower arrangement she chose was really the right one. Jackson’s gone through this dozens of times, and types up a timely email to tell her that everything will be okay and the right choice was made. 

He’s still typing when he hears the seat of the chair across from him squeaking across the floor. Jackson assumes it’s Yugyeom, so he doesn’t look up. He finishes typing his email, and sends it off to the bride. He hopes that it’s enough to calm her worries for now, before she’ll end up calling him later. 

When he’s done, he finally pockets his phone. Jackson looks over at the counter, only to still see Yugyeom standing there and making their order. 

“So you’re getting good use of the phone, then?” a voice asks. 

Jackson turns, and he’s surprised to find that Jinyoung is sitting in the chair across from him. 

“Are you following me?” Jackson asks. “Do you want your wedding planned that badly?” 

“No,” Jinyoung laughs, and Jackson can’t help but think how lovely he looks when the whiskers form around his eyes. “I frequent this cafe a lot. I was about to leave until I saw you sitting here.” 

“Thanks for the phone, I think,” Jackson says awkwardly. “I should probably pay you back, I feel terrible about this.” 

“Just take it out of your wedding fee, or whatever you charge, I don’t mind,” Jinyoung assures him. 

“Alright,” Jackson nods. “I will.” 

“Looks like your lunch is almost here,” Jinyoung says, looking over at Yugyeom. He’s almost to the table, holding a tray with their lunch. “I’ll be seeing you, then.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson waves, and watches as Jinyoung slowly gets up from his chair. He leaves it pushed out, and lets Yugyeom take his spot. “Wait—” Jackson calls. 

“Yes?” Jinyoung turns around. 

“You know Jaebeom, right?” Jackson asks. He thinks he probably sounds stupid for asking, considering Jaebeom had already told them about their history today. 

“Of course,” Jinyoung nods. “We’re well acquainted.” 

_Well acquainted_. Jackson doesn’t know whether he should even laugh or cry at that. 

“He’s my go-to for wedding photography recommendations,” Jackson supplies. “Only if you’re interested.” 

“I’m interested,” Jinyoung answers. “He’s a good photographer, I think Seulgi will agree with no issue.” 

“That’s great,” Jackson smiles. “I’ll let you go now,” Jackson waves. 

“Enjoy your lunch,” Jinyoung smiles back. “I’ll see you.” 

Jackson doesn’t look back, diverting his attention to Yugyeom and his food now. His stomach grumbles, and Jackson is a lot hungrier than he thought. He still can’t get it out of his mind though, now that he’s seen Jinyoung. Jackson thinks he might be overthinking it, seeing the look on Jinyoung’s face when he mentioned Jaebeom. 

“Jackson?” Yugyeom calls out. “Are you going to eat?” he says, waving his hand in front of Jackson’s face. 

“Yeah,” Jackson shakes his head. “Sorry, I was spacing out and thinking about Saturday’s wedding.” 

“Thank god I don’t have to be there,” Yugyeom says, with a mouth full of food. “I can’t imagine having to deal with all that.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson grumbles. He takes a bite out of his sandwich, and tries to ignore Yugyeom’s comment. He didn’t have to be there, but if Jackson wanted him to, he’d make him. “I bet this bride is going to call me in like, five minutes. Just watch.” 

Jackson sets his phone on the table, and they time it. He manages to finish half of his sandwich, and as Jackson predicts, exactly five minutes pass and he’s already getting a call from the bride from Saturday’s wedding herself. 

He clears his throat before answering the phone, and speaks in a calm, collected manner. Jackson dealt with many crying couples, and this was no issue for him. He speaks to the couple, reassuring them everything will be smooth and fine once Saturday arrives. He’ll see them on Wednesday for the rehearsal dinner, and after that everything will definitely be fine. The nerves always seem to get the best of everyone. 

Jackson finally hangs up the phone, and puts it into his bag for the rest of lunch. Yugyeom makes chatter — talking about his project and school, and Jackson nods along happily. 

“Jackson?” Yugyeom asks. 

“Yes?” he replies. 

“I don’t think you hear this enough, but you’re amazing at what you do,” Yugyeom tells him. “Thanks for letting me be a part of it all,” Yugyeom smiles. 

“What brought this on?” Jackson laughs. “You’re being weird today.” 

“You handled that call so well,” Yugyeom answers. “You’re amazing.” 

“Don’t say that too early,” Jackson warns him playfully. “Saturday hasn’t happened yet.” 

“If we know anything about a Jackson Wang planned wedding,” Yugyeom grins. “It’s going to be amazing.” 

* * *

On Tuesday night, Jackson is a fucking mess. He’s trying to get everything in line for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow, and Yugyeom had already clocked out for the day. He’s making calls with the hotel trying to correct the block of rooms reserved for Saturday, and fixing the mistakes they made on the dinner menu. 

After all the emails and the mess, Jackson decides to finally hit up the gym to relieve some stress. He starts slow, with some light jogging on the treadmill. He has his headphones in, blasting some random playlist that Yugyeom had made for him. If there’s one thing Yugyeom is good at, it’s making things a lot easier for Jackson when it comes to his day to day. He starts building up a sweat, and wipes his forehead using one of the towels he’d left hanging around the handles of the treadmill. He’s about to raise the speed, until he notices a familiar face. 

Jinyoung is using one of the treadmills a few rows down from him, and Jackson wonders how long he’s been there. He didn’t see him before, and Jackson finds it odd that the moment he found out that Jaebeom had a connection with him, Jackson is seeing him everywhere. He stops running for now, and goes to take a quick break on one of the benches before he starts lifting weights. 

Jackson scrolls through his phone again, relieved to find out all the mistakes have been corrected. He pauses his music, and when he looks up from the bench, Jinyoung is standing in front of him. 

“Hey,” Jinyoung says, and runs his fingers through his hair. Jackson wonders how he can still look this perfect, even after going for a run. “You go to this gym, too?” 

“Well, this isn’t the usual one I go to,” Jackson shrugs. “There’s one closer to my apartment.” 

“This could be nice,” Jinyoung replies, and sits next to Jackson on the bench. He’s a little close, and Jinyoung’s knee is bumping against him. “I’ve always wanted someone to work out with.” 

“Are you going to lift?” Jackson asks. “I’ll spot you.” 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung smiles. He stands up from the bench, and Jackson feels a little relieved. He’s not used to the closeness— or that type of contact ever since his ex. It makes Jackson a little nervous, and he can’t just go developing a crush on Jinyoung since he’s getting married. 

Jackson stays on the bench, and scrolls through his phone again. He decides to send Jaebeom a text message, because he’s going to take any opportunity he can to annoy him for even telling him information he didn’t need to know. 

**Jackson** : i hate you   
**Jaebeom** : .. ? rude but.. Why?   
**Jackson** : I’m at the gym. Jinyoung is here   
**Jaebeom** : cute. Workout buddies. It’ll be fun :)   
**Jackson** : still hate you 

Jackson pockets his phone, and finds Jinyoung among the weights. He’s already steadily lifting at one of the bench presses. Jackson stands behind the bar, carefully holding his hand out just in case Jinyoung needs some help. Jackson loses count of how many reps Jinyoung does, but Jackson watches as Jinyoung’s arms slowly begin to falter, and Jackson takes the chance to help pull the weight back onto the bar. 

Jinyoung is looking up at him, and Jackson doesn’t know what to think. Sure, Jinyoung is friendly. Maybe a little too much. He saved Jackson’s life, bought him a new phone, and he’s friends with Jackson’s friends. At this point, Jackson’s wondering who even gave him his name as a suggestion for a wedding planner. 

“Why me?” Jackson asks. 

“Hm?” Jinyoung hums, and sits up on the bench. He’s looking at Jackson, returning the same confused look. 

“Why’d you choose me as a wedding planner?” Jackson clarifies. “I mean, there’s plenty of other ones in town. BamBam’s pretty good, too.” 

“I like your style,” Jinyoung answers. “Your work ethic. I think you’re amazing.” 

“C’mon, be serious,” Jackson replies. “No one recommended you to me?” 

“Like _Jaebeom_?” Jinyoung says, pointing out the obvious. “No, he didn’t,” he shakes his head. “Is it hard to believe you’re one of the most sought after wedding planners in this city?” 

“Sort of,” Jackson says, leaning against the bar. “I didn’t really expect to be this busy.” 

“I didn’t know you were friends with Jaebeom, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jinyoung replies. “But I’d like to be friends with you. If you’ll let me.” 

“I…” Jackson pauses. He’s a social person. Jackson makes friends, easily. Whenever he goes to weddings there’s never a dry conversation in the room. He never stays friends with any of his clients, that’s something that Jackson has kept. Sure, couples will recommend him to their friends, but there’s no hanging outside of planning, or even after the wedding is over. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” 

“Really?” Jinyoung smiles. It’s so wide that it reaches his eyes, and Jackson can’t help but smile back. 

“Just as long as you don’t do wedding talk, or I’ll have to bill you for hanging out with me,” Jackson jokes. 

“I hate to ask about wedding plans, but is there a chance we could change our meeting date? Something where you’d have two days available?” Jinyoung asks. 

“I could do Sunday?” Jackson suggests. “I’ll have Monday off. It’s not a problem.” 

“Okay,” Jinyoung smiles. “So, how about we switch?” 

“What?” Jackson asks, looking confused. 

“Switch—” Jinyoung points at the bar. “You lift, I’ll spot.” 

“Oh,” Jackson laughs nervously. “Yeah, let’s switch.” 

* * *

The rest of the week seems like a blur. The rehearsal dinner goes by smoothly, and his wedding party has no pressing issues of stress or last minute hang-ups that leave Jackson feeling great about the weekend. Even if he’d double booked himself— Saturday wedding, and meeting with Jinyoung on Sunday, he’ll get some time to relax. At some point. 

Saturday runs as smooth as everything possibly can. The bride and groom go down the aisle with no issue, and everything is good to go once they get to the reception. It was a five star hotel, and the couple spared no expense when it came to the wedding. Dinner, the speeches, and everything else went so smoothly that Jackson is relieved he hasn’t had to step in for someone drunkenly trying to mess up the entire thing. 

It’s when they’re cutting the cake, Jackson thinks, is his favorite moment of this entire wedding. This couple switched up the order, deciding to cut the cake before the dance. The bride smears the cake all over the groom’s face, and the entire room lights up. Jackson watches as Jaebeom is busy capturing the moment. Jaebeom’s usually too busy during weddings to have time to chit chat with Jackson, but he doesn’t mind. They’re both working, and they could always catch up on the ride home. 

He just can’t help but notice that something is off about Jaebeom today. He was quiet on the car ride over, and when Jackson gets a closer look, Jaebeom’s hands seem to shake slightly. There’s a short break in between cake and the first dance, so Jackson gets a quick chance to pull Jaebeom aside from the wedding events. 

“Jaebeom?” Jackson puts his hand on Jaebeom’s back, trying to comfort him. “Is there something going on?” 

“I—” Jaebeom starts, and lets his camera rest against his chest. “I talked with Mark, you know, about getting married.” 

“Oh,” Jackson breathes. “Good or bad?” 

“He doesn’t—” Jaebeom stutters. “He doesn’t want to get married,” Jaebeom sniffles. 

“Oh, Jaebeom,” Jackson wraps his arms around Jaebeom, pulling him into a tight hug. Jaebeom and Mark had been together for a little over three years. Jackson doesn’t want to make assumptions about anyone being the marrying type, but Jackson knows it’s important to Jaebeom. 

“He says we’re fine together like this. That we don’t need to sign some dumb paper, but,” Jaebeom sniffles again, trying not to cry against Jackson’s neck. “I _want_ to. I want all this dumb stuff.” 

“So what’d you do?” Jackson asks. 

“I left,” Jaebeom answers. “I didn’t…” he goes on. “I didn’t break up with him. Not yet anyways.” 

Jackson doesn’t know what to say now. He’s at a loss for words. He’s seen one couple have their happy moment today, and it breaks his heart knowing that Jaebeom had to live through that, after having the marriage talk with Mark. It’s not always easy, and Jackson knows this from experience. The marriage talk with Youngjae wasn’t the best, and Jackson thinks that maybe he shouldn’t have pushed it.

“Hey,” Jackson says, and rubs his hand gently against Jaebeom’s back. “You and Mark are solid. You two will get through anything,” Jackson says quietly. 

The music starts to pick up again, and that’s Jackson’s cue to get everyone ready for the first dance. He hates to leave Jaebeom like this, but the both of them have to get back to work to make the moment perfect. 

“You’ll get through this,” Jackson promises. “Now let’s get back to work.” 

“Okay,” Jaebeom says, and finally lets Jackson go from his tight embrace. “Thanks, Jackson.” 

“We can talk after,” Jackson says, and momentarily links his fingers with Jaebeom. “Now let’s go make some wedding magic happen.” 

Jackson stands in front of the guests, holding the microphone in his hand. The spotlight on him feels harsh, and Jackson takes note to make the light feel less hotter next time. He announces the couple’s first dance, and everyone claps. Jackson stands off to the side, just by the DJ. It’s the part where Jackson always cries. He doesn’t know why, but first dances always evoke some emotion out of him. He remembers trying to pick the perfect song with Youngjae, and it just reminds him of all the plans that fell through. 

He thought he would be with Youngjae forever. That they’d settle down somewhere in the suburbs, and Youngjae would continue being a music teacher at the local middle school. They’d get more dogs after Coco, and everything would be great. Jackson just wishes he’d seen their relationship falling apart sooner, missing all the signs that lead up to their wedding. 

Jackson had always been an enthusiastic planner. It was a part of his job. He wishes he’d known earlier. He thinks that maybe he always knew, somewhere in the back of his mind that they’d never make it. He wipes the tears at the corners of his eyes, and continues watching the happy couple dance. He told Jinyoung before. If he can’t get a happy ending, at least he can give one to someone else. 

* * *

At the end of the night, Jackson drives Jaebeom home in silence. Jaebeom’s leaning against the window, and Jackson turns down the music. They didn’t get the chance to talk after the first dance, since Jaebeom was so busy taking photos. Jackson knew they hired a second photographer, but Jaebeom insisted he do a good job until the end of the night. 

“So,” Jackson whistles. “Is Mark home?” 

“I don’t know,” Jaebeom mumbles. “I don’t know what to do.” 

“You can always talk again,” Jackson reminds him. “It’ll be okay.” 

“Are you sure?” Jaebeom asks. 

Jackson parks on the street in front of Jaebeom’s apartment building. He lets the engine run for a moment, and Jackson rolls down the window. It’s not quite summer yet, but the hot air blows against Jackson’s face. 

“You two are good for each other,” Jackson tells him. “Just let me know if you need anything.” 

“Okay,” Jaebeom nods. He slowly unbuckles his seatbelt, and makes sure to grab his bag from the backseat. Before he opens the passenger side door, Jaebeom looks at Jackson one last time. “Thanks again.” 

Jaebeom smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks sad, and Jackson wishes there was something else he could do. He watches out the window as Jaebeom finally goes inside the building, and Jackson doesn’t drive off right away. He switches the engine off, and checks his phone before driving home. 

It’s a text from Jinyoung, telling him that he’ll meet Jackson at his office tomorrow after noon. He stares at the time, noticing that it’s nearing one a.m. already. He lays his head against the steering wheel for a moment, wondering why he ever agreed to a Sunday meeting after a wedding. 

He puts his phone back into one of the cupholders, and sits back up in his seat again. It’s later in the day, at least, so Jackson will be able to get a decent amount of time to sleep in. Jackson wonders if he can make a note to charge extra if he can consider this overtime. He still has a tiny bit of energy left in him, and takes one last sip of the coffee that he got after leaving the wedding so he could drive Jaebeom home. 

Jackson tells himself that it’s just another wedding. It’ll all go smoothly. Three months is doable. That’s what he keeps telling himself. 

* * *

The next morning, Jackson wakes up with his face pressed into the pillow. There’s just a tiny hint of drool that’s been dried onto his pillow and the side of his lip, and Jackson groans. When he gets his phone off the bedside table, Jackson notices the time read 11 o’clock a.m. He’s not one to panic, but Jackson thought he’d have longer than an hour to collect himself before he was supposed to meet Jinyoung. 

He’s usually slow to get out of bed in the morning, but Jackson tries his best to be quicker than usual. He doesn’t even have time to take a shower, and does his best by washing his face and brushing his teeth. Jackson’s too impatient to let the water get a little warmer, washing everything down with ice cold water. 

The gel that he didn’t wash out of his hair after the wedding makes it a little harder for him to brush it out again, trying to make it as neat as possible versus the nest that sat on his head when he got out of bed. 

Yugyeom was off hours— but for Jackson’s usual routine, it took Yugyeom ten phone calls in the morning just to wake up Jackson, especially on days after weddings. He gave Yugyeom the next two days off, because Jackson assumed he’d both take them off too. 

He doesn’t know why he’s letting Jinyoung bleed into his days off. Jackson ran into him at the cafe, at the gym, and he wonders where else it’ll happen next. It’ll be impossible after everything is over, knowing how close together their circles are if Jaebeom finds a way to get them all to hang out. 

Jackson barely manages to make it to his office on time, showing up at the front door precisely at 11:59 a.m. He’s still tired, and he didn’t even get the chance to buy or make coffee on his way in. His keys are in his hands, and Jinyoung is right on time— or actually, early. From the looks of it, Jinyoung had been waiting for a while. 

“Good morning,” Jackson says, his voice still a little hoarse. “I didn’t expect last night’s wedding to keep me up so late,” Jackson explains. 

“It’s noon now,” Jinyoung tells him. “I feel a little bad, we could’ve just met tomorrow.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jackson shrugs, and finally unlocks the door to his office. It’s just as neat as Yugyeom left it, and Jackson motions for Jinyoung to follow him inside. 

It wasn’t anything fancy, besides Jackson’s desk and a few extra sitting chairs with Yugyeom’s being an exact mirror on the other side of the room. He invites Jinyoung to sit on the chair across from Jackson’s desk, and Jinyoung takes a seat. 

Jackson sits behind his computer, waiting for it to boot up. He dumps his bag onto the floor, and he tries to not rub at his eyes. He still wants to go back to bed, and Jackson didn’t even have anything drafted up for potential venues for Jinyoung and Seulgi. 

“Ah,” Jackson sighs, and pulls out a sticky note pad. “I’m sure you already know this, but beach weddings in this close a time really isn’t possible for all the permits, and other reservations you need to make in advance.” 

“Oh,” Jinyoung frowns. “That’s okay, I wasn’t too set on it anyways. I have other alternatives, if that helps?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jackson nods. His computer finally boots up, and Jackson has his preset lists of places that are easily available at the last minute. “Anything special in mind?” 

“I was thinking of the Warfield in San Francisco?” Jinyoung suggests. “Seulgi played one of her first big shows there with her band, I think it would be really special.” 

“That sounds amazing,” Jackson types into his computer, and already starts thinking ahead of calling the place as soon as possible. “I think it’ll be doable if you’re getting married on a Thursday, was it?” 

“I called ahead of time,” Jinyoung tells him. “I put a deposit down just in case I didn’t have any other options available.” 

“Smart thinking,” Jackson types in a few notes down in his computer, and closes all the search tabs. “You’re already doing my job for me.” 

“Like I said, I felt bad,” Jinyoung laughs. “I didn’t mean to bother you on your days off, and it was the least I could do.” 

“Well, you have to pay me to do something,” Jackson lets his computer go on sleep, and pulls out his pad of sticky notes again. “You have announcements and invitations done, correct?” Jackson can only briefly remember from their first meeting, when Jinyoung had mentioned it off hand. 

“Yes,” Jinyoung nods. “I had those taken care of already.” 

“Good,” Jackson says, and makes a scribble across his notepad. “If the venue is settled, we can start planning ahead with securing everything else.” 

“This seems easy,” Jinyoung says, but when Jackson looks up at him, he looks like he regrets saying it. “I mean—” Jinyoung goes on. “Not that I’m making a dig at your job. I’m sure it’s not.” 

“It depends,” Jackson shrugs. “You’ve helped, I think that’s made it a little easier.” 

“Good,” Jinyoung smiles. “I’m glad I could help.” 

“Let me just—“ Jackson starts, and shakes his mouse to wake up his computer again. The screen is bright, and he makes sure to turn down the brightness a bit. He looks at pictures of the Warfield, and starts looking for nice hotels in the area for places for their guests to stay. “Is it a big wedding?” Jackson asks. 

“Less than 50,” Jinyoung supplies. “Is that big?” 

“No, not at all,” Jackson shakes his head. “It’s quite small.” 

“Can I?” Jinyoung asks, pointing over at Jackson’s computer screen. 

“Yes,” Jackson answers, and before he can turn the computer screen so the both of them can see it, Jinyoung is getting out of his chair. Jackson tries not to visibly move when Jinyoung stands behind him. He scoots his chair forward just a little bit, and Jinyoung leans forward, putting his hand on the desk near Jackson’s hand. He’s getting closer, and he’s just above Jackson’s shoulder. 

Jinyoung is so close, and Jackson tilts his head out of the way slightly so he can look at him. He’s staring at the computer screen, and his brows are slightly furrowed. Jinyoung leans forward again, getting too close into Jackson’s space, and points at the screen. 

“This,” Jinyoung hums. “That’s what I was thinking it would look like for the ceremony.” 

“You have simple tastes, don’t you?” Jackson asks, and leans slightly to his right. It doesn’t really help, because Jinyoung’s arm is practically over him at this point, with his hand just resting right next to Jackson’s near the computer mouse. 

“Is there anything wrong with simple?” Jinyoung’s voice is teasing, and he turns his head so that he’s just inches away from Jackson’s face. He thinks if he moves forward just a little, their noses might brush together. 

“No,” Jackson shakes his head slightly, and he hopes that a blush hasn’t started creeping its way across his cheeks. He’s trying to back away a little bit, but Jinyoung is leaning in so close and turns his face to look back at the screen. 

“There’s this hotel I stayed at last time I was in San Francisco,” Jinyoung adds. “I’ll have to get the name from my records later, but I think that would be a good place to reserve some rooms for people.” 

“Sounds good,” Jackson’s voice falters, and he tries to grab his notepad that’s sitting a little far out besides Jinyoung’s hand. He reaches over, and accidentally brushes his finger’s against Jinyoung’s hand. “Sorry, I just need to write this down for later.” 

“No worries,” Jinyoung says, and Jackson tries to ignore the way Jinyoung brushes his thumb against his. “I’ll text or call you later.” 

“Just know I really am taking tomorrow off,” Jackson says, trying to get his best professional voice on. “I know you said you needed two days, but from the looks of it you’ve gotten a great head start on this venue.” 

“You see,” Jinyoung starts, and Jackson already knows that can’t be the sound of something good. “I, uh, haven’t really gotten around to doing the wedding registry.” 

Jinyoung stands properly again, and Jackson can finally breathe a little bit. Jinyoung moves, and instead of sitting back at the chair across from Jackson, he takes his place leaning against Jackson’s desk right next to him. Jinyoung’s face is in his hands, and Jackson knows the look of a stressed out groom. 

“Ideally, this should be done six months before a wedding,” Jackson sighs. “If you need help—” 

“God, please,” Jinyoung’s almost begging at this point. “I don’t know where to start, or what to even do.” 

“Just know that you’re paying me overtime,” Jackson informs him. He doesn’t mind, but Jinyoung did tell him that he’d take two days. At least they’re almost done for the day, and Jackson can go home and go back to sleep. 

“Thank you so much,” Jinyoung sighs in relief. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“You could buy me lunch, for starters,” Jackson jokes. “Honestly, it’s what you’re paying me for anyways.” 

“I’ll buy you lunch,” Jinyoung replies. “Whatever you want, I can get a table.” 

“That sounds a little,” Jackson laughs nervously. “You can get a table anywhere?” 

“Yes,” Jinyoung nods. “I know a lot of people.” 

“As much as I’d like to take that offer on,” Jackson sighs wistfully. He can only imagine how many good restaurants he could be sitting in on right now. “I’d be happy with the dim sum place I know a few blocks from here.” 

“That’s good, too,” Jinyoung smiles. “We can go after we’re done here.” 

“We’re pretty much done for the day,” Jackson turns off his computer, and puts his sticky notes over the monitor for later. “We can go now, if you’re free?” 

“I’m free,” Jinyoung nods. “Let’s go.” 

* * *

It’s been awhile since Jackson has gone to this particular restaurant. He used to be a regular, but that was when he was still with Youngjae. He hasn’t frequented the place in months, and the only time he does get food from there is if Yugyeom orders take out and brings it to their office. 

They get a table by the window, and Jackson orders as much as he can from the first cart. Jinyoung told him he would pay, so Jackson decided to make the most of it. He didn’t have time to eat breakfast that morning, and by the time they got seated, Jackson’s stomach was loud. 

Jinyoung is sitting right across from him, taking slow sips from his tea while Jackson basically shoves an entire dumpling into his mouth. 

“That hungry?” Jinyoung asks, and puts down his cup of tea. 

“Got in late last night from the wedding,” Jackson sets his chopsticks down on his plate, and takes a sip of his water to help wash it down. He swallows, and continues on. “Everything went great, but the end of the night wasn’t as good.” 

“Drama from the party?” Jinyoung asks, leaning forward. 

“Ah, no,” Jackson shakes his head. “I’m sure, if you talk with Jaebeom,” he settles back, and Jackson takes another bite out of his food to avoid talking about it. 

“I talked to him last night actually,” Jinyoung says casually. “He called while you were at the reception.” 

Jackson coughs on his food, just a little bit, and has to reach for his water again to help him swallow it down. He still doesn’t even know how close they are, and Jackson is surprised because he thought Jaebeom was one of his best friends. 

“He didn’t say much,” Jinyoung shrugs. “I know he and Mark had a rough go recently.” 

“You know about that?” Jackson asks. 

“We’re closer than you think,” Jinyoung adds. “Is that a surprise?” 

“Not really, no,” Jackson lies, and looks down at his plate again. He can’t stop thinking about what Jaebeom had told him. The summer that Seulgi went on tour, and Jaebeom… His thoughts trail off, and Jackson tries to forget about it. None of it was his business, anyways. 

“Good,” Jinyoung smiles. “I think we could all be a really great group of friends.” 

“Yes,” Jackson bites. “Friends.” 

Jinyoung finally starts eating, and Jackson loads his plate with seconds. He doesn’t mind talking, but it was lunch, and Jackson didn’t want to be rude and ignore Jinyoung’s attempts at conversation. He lets Jinyoung talk freely, nodding along as Jackson interjects here and there with a few questions about Jinyoung’s photography. 

It’s going well, and Jinyoung makes a point to never bring up wedding talk at all. It was after hours, and Jackson feels like they could really start to befriends from this point on. He thinks that even if he wasn’t planning Jinyoung’s wedding, they would’ve met eventually. Jackson and Jaebeom’s circles have run pretty close, and everyone would’ve found a way. 

Jackson’s just finishing up the last few plates, when he notices someone sitting a few tables away. He feels like his eyes might be lying to him, but Jackson looks again. He’d know that smile anywhere. 

It’s Youngjae. 

He’s sitting two tables down, sitting across from someone Jackson doesn’t recognize. Not someone they know. He feels his heart drop in his chest, and Jackson lets his chopsticks clatter against the table. He’s not going to cry, not now, especially since he hasn’t seen Youngjae since the night before they were supposed to get married. 

“Jackson?” Jinyoung asks, looking concerned. “Are you okay?” 

“I—” his hands are shaking, and Jackson tries to hide them by resting his palms against his thighs. “I don’t know.” 

“Let me pay the bill,” Jinyoung grabs the ticket off the table, and gives Jackson one last look before he goes to the front counter. “Then we can leave, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Jackson nods, trying to fake a smile. “Thanks again.” 

Jackson looks down at his empty plate again, and tries to ignore the fact that Youngjae is so close. It’s been over a year, and Jackson is well over it by now. It’s just that he didn’t expect to see Youngjae so close like this, especially since he thought Youngjae dropped off the face of the earth. 

He looks up at Jinyoung, only to see him waving to come to the front. Jackson wasn’t that great at reading lips, but he assumes that everything is paid and good to go. 

As always, Jackson has the worst timing. 

The second he steps out front, Youngjae and his mystery dining partner are also getting up and out of their seats to pay. Jackson just hopes he can make a beeline for the door without being seen, but at this point, he thinks it may just be impossible. 

Jinyoung’s still standing in front of the door, and the second Jackson meets up with him, Youngjae notices him. 

He stops in his tracks, and Youngjae is looking at him right in the eyes. Jackson’s heart almost feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest, and he’s so nervous he can’t even think before Youngjae is actually opening his mouth to say something. 

“Jackson,” he breathes. “It’s been a long time.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson nods. “Hi again.” 

“This is Younghyun—” Youngjae says, pulling his dining partner close to him. “He’s my boyfriend.” 

“Oh,” Jackson says, trying not to sound too surprised. “Nice to meet you.” 

“Hello,” Jinyoung interrupts, and links his hands together with Jackson’s. “I’m Jinyoung, Jackson’s boyfriend.” 

“I didn’t know,” Youngjae says, smiling awkwardly. “Nice to meet you, too.” 

“C’mon, babe,” Jinyoung squeezes onto Jackson’s hand, and pulls his arm forward slightly. “Let’s go.” 

“It was nice seeing you,” Youngjae waves. 

Jackson doesn’t even know what to say to that. He just gives Youngjae a close-lipped smile, and follows as Jinyoung pulls him out of the restaurant. Jackson thinks he’s been holding his breath all this time, because when he finally gets outside, he lets out a deep breath. 

Jinyoung’s still holding onto his hand, and Jackson squeezes it this time. He only follows as Jinyoung walks them both across the street, and Jackson assumes it’s to avoid another run in with Youngjae and his new boyfriend Younghyun. 

He’s trying to get his breathing even, and this time, Jinyoung stops walking, and unlinks his hand with Jackson’s. Jinyoung carefully places his hands over Jackson’s shoulders, and lightly massages them with his fingers. They’re face to face, but Jackson covers his face with his hands, as if he’s embarrassed. 

“How did you know—” Jackson barely manages to breathe out. “How—” 

“Your face,” Jinyoung says calmly. “The way you both looked at each other. I just remembered what you said about your fiance.” 

“I didn’t think he was still here,” Jackson sighs. “I thought he moved away. Maybe he moved back.” 

“You couldn’t have known he was going to be there,” Jinyoung pulls Jackson slightly closer to him. “And in case you’re wondering, he’s watching us like a hawk right now.” 

“He is?” Jackson says, uncovering his face. He tries to turn his head, but Jinyoung stops him by placing his hand on Jackson’s cheek. 

“Yes,” Jinyoung answers. “Kiss me.” 

“What?” Jackson’s mouth drops open a little, just wondering what Jinyoung is even thinking. 

“He’s watching,” Jinyoung answers. “It won’t be a real kiss. Just a stage one. He won’t be able to tell from this angle.” 

“Okay,” Jackson nods. “If he’s watching.” 

Jinyoung doesn’t say anything else, but he closes his eyes and slowly leans forward. His face is so close, with one hand on Jackson’s cheek and the other around the back of his neck. Jinyoung’s lips move in so close that Jackson can feel his breath just barely ghosting against his own. 

Jackson closes his eyes for a moment, wondering if it would be like if it was actually real. If Jinyoung was his boyfriend. If he wasn’t getting married to someone else— 

“They’re gone,” Jinyoung says, and rubs his thumb against the back of Jackson’s neck. 

“Thanks,” Jackson steps back, and puts his hands in his pockets. Jinyoung just stands across from him, folding his arms against his chest. “I should get going.” 

“Yeah,” Jinyoung nods. The corners of his lips move up slightly, and Jackson tries to return the smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” 

“Can we reschedule?” Jackson asks. “I’m sorry, It’s just that I remembered I have something important to do for my other wedding.” 

“Ah, yeah,” Jinyoung says, sounding completely understanding. “I can’t expect to take up all of your time. Can I at least give you a ride home?” he asks. 

“No,” Jackson insists. “It’s fine, I have some errands I need to run before I go home.” 

“Okay,” Jinyoung nods. “I’ll call you, then?” 

“Yeah,” Jackson replies. “I’ll talk to you soon.” 

Jinyoung waves goodbye one last time, and Jackson does his best to return a smile. He walks away first, and Jackson walks back across the street to the restaurant. He was planning on going back to his office, sitting for a few hours just to sulk, and maybe pick up some more takeout on the way home. He can go to the gym tomorrow, but for the rest of the day, Jackson thinks he’ll finally take his well-earned break. 

  
  



	3. something borrowed

Jackson ignores most of his calls on Monday, except for Yugyeom’s. He normally has class on Monday anyway, and Yugyeom was the one who updated all of Jackson’s calendars remotely. He doesn’t have a need to wake up early, so Jackson is glad to lay in bed until noon, catching up on his missed sleep from the wedding on Saturday. 

On wedding days, Jackson is usually on his feet the entire day running around. He’s learned to invest in a good pair of shoes and insoles to keep him going, but most of the time he still ends up feeling sore. Jackson already went through the worst of it yesterday, and today he’s already feeling better enough to go to the gym. 

He scrolls through his emails on his phone, wondering if there are any updates for the other wedding, even if it was six months from now. Jackson still has a lot of leisure planning compared to Jinyoung’s being in three months, but since he has an advantage he’s going to take the chance to get things finished early. 

When he finally gets up and dressed for the day, it’s almost two. Mondays are the only days that Jackson ever takes off. Most of his weddings happen on the weekends, and in his busiest times he’s booked on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He doesn’t have many weekday weddings, and on Monday he’s so exhausted that he can barely get out of bed. 

Today is different, though. Jackson is dragging himself to the gym, just so he can try to forget about his brief encounter with his ex fiance. He doesn’t take much with him, just his wallet, phone, and keys and heads to the gym closest to his apartment. It’s a short walk, and Jackson puts on his headphones. 

He’s scrolling through his playlist, until he’s interrupted by Jinyoung’s name flashing across the caller ID screen. 

Jackson debates on whether he should even pick up, and lets the phone ring three more times. His ringtone is annoyingly loud, and after another ring, Jackson sighs and answers the phone. 

“Hey,” Jinyoung greets. “I know it’s your day off, but I wanted to apologize for yesterday.” 

“Apologize?” Jackson says, sounding a little confused. “What for?” 

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Jinyoung clarifies. “With the kiss. Even if it was fake.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jackson sighs into the phone. “It feels like I got some sort of revenge,” Jackson says, and adjusts his headphones in his ear. “Not that I ever felt the need to, but just seeing him after all this time really threw me off.” 

“Still, I feel bad,” Jinyoung replies. “Are you doing anything today?” 

“Jinyoung,” Jackson sighs again. “I told you, it’s my day off.” 

“Not for work,” Jinyoung laughs. “I meant, if you wanted to hang out.” 

“Oh,” Jackson’s embarrassed now, and grips his phone in his hand. “I’m going to go work out, right now, if you wanted to join.” 

“Same gym?” Jinyoung asks. “Or another one?” 

“I’ll text you the address,” Jackson answers. 

“Alright,” Jinyoung says. “I’ll see you there.” 

Jackson hangs up right after that, and opens his phone right to his messages. He texts Jinyoung the address, and goes back to open up his playlists. He scrolls through them while he walks, just so he can get a feel for today. Jackson, through numerous attempts, tried to get Jaebeom to be his gym buddy. He thinks this may be a good idea after all, becoming friends with Jinyoung. A regular friend to work out with. Someone Jackson doesn’t have any emotional ties to. 

He gets to the gym first, and Jackson starts with the treadmill like he always does. Even though the soreness is gone, he still starts off with a light jog. It’s not enough to build up a sweat, but it’s enough to get him to focus for the first twenty minutes he spends at the gym. He keeps turning the volume on his headphones up a little higher, and he barely registers the moment Jinyoung finally joins him at the treadmill next to him. 

Jackson takes one of his headphones out of his ears, and slows the treadmill down to a walking pace. 

“How long do you want to go for?” Jinyoung asks, and has his own headphones slung across his shoulders. 

“Twenty more minutes,” Jackson answers. “Then weights?” 

“Sure,” Jinyoung nods. “Thanks for inviting me.” 

“Work out buddies,” Jackson smiles. “I’ve been trying to get Jaebeom to go with me forever.” 

“Tried that already,” Jinyoung sighs. “I guess we were meant to be friends.” 

Jackson just nods, and gets back to his silent work out. He prefers not to talk, just to get his breathing even. He sets the timer on his phone for another twenty minutes, and turns his playlist back on. 

He builds up his pace again, jogging at his normal speed. He’s starting to sweat a lot more, and Jackson looks over every once in a while to check on Jinyoung. He’s keeping up just fine, and he really does think he’s finally found a suitable work out partner. 

Jackson breathes out, and wipes his forehead with the towel he grabbed when he got to the gym. His water bottle sits in the cup holder, and Jackson was too clumsy to be able to drink and run at the same time, so he waits. His playlist loop is close to finishing, and when his music stops, the twenty minute jog is finally over. He steps off to the sides of the treadmill, and leans against the handles. His forehead gets wiped dry as best as he can, and Jackson takes a long drink from his water bottle. 

Jinyoung is next to him, and Jackson can hear him catching up with his breath. When he’s done with his water, he feels Jinyoung tap at his shoulder. 

“You mind?” Jinyoung asks, nodding towards Jackson’s water bottle. 

Jackson’s still trying to catch his own breath, and he nods and hands the bottle to Jinyoung. He’s still leaning against the handle, getting his moment of rest since he’s been jogging a lot longer than Jinyoung. 

He thinks he might be a little too obvious. Jackson’s staring, and trying not to look at Jinyoung while he drinks from his water bottle. Jinyoung was only wearing a plain black t-shirt, but it was still clinging to him from the light sweat he built up. He notices some of the water trickle down Jinyoung’s chin, and the water just flows down his neck. 

Jinyoung swipes two fingers along his bottom lip to wipe off any spare water, and Jackson stumbles off the treadmill, losing his balance against the handles. It’s just like missing a step off the stairs, and Jackson’s quick to make it look like he didn’t just get caught staring. 

“Weights?” Jinyoung asks, and hands Jackson’s water bottle back to him.

“Yeah,” Jackson says, his breathing even again. “Let’s go.” 

Jackson thinks it’s been a while since he’s had an equal lifting partner. When he doesn’t know anyone at the gym, Jackson will help out a few strangers. He’s always been friendly and doesn’t mind helping other people out, but most of the time the difference in levels weren’t the same and Jackson spent a lot of time helping people who weren’t able to help Jackson. 

He’s spotting Jinyoung again, the same as the first day they ran into each other at the other gym. Jinyoung keeps going, and Jackson tries not to stare at the flex of his arms for the second time. 

“Fuck,” Jinyoung groans, and Jackson notices the tension in his muscles when Jinyoung struggles to lift it back up to the bar. Jackson’s hand is quick, and helps him set it back onto the hold. 

“You did good,” Jackson praises him. “That’s more than I could’ve done for how sore I am.” 

“It’s been a while since I last lifted,” Jinyoung says, and avoids Jackson’s eye contact. “Probably the last time we worked out together.” 

“Still,” Jackson insists. “You look good.” 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung smiles, and Jackson likes how the dimple appears in his right cheek. “You look pretty good, too.” 

“Don’t flatter me,” Jackson plays it off, and leans against the bar. Jinyoung’s still laying on his back, and still looking up at Jackson. His chest slowly rises and falls, and Jinyoung’s shirt is clinging to him even tighter now. Jackson taps his hand against the bar, and tries to snap himself out of it. He’s not going to be this obvious ever again. “Let’s switch?” 

“Okay,” Jinyoung nods. He takes his time, slowly getting up from the bench. He’s sitting upright now, and Jackson’s just waiting to take his spot. “It’s nice to have an equal partner.” 

“What, Jaebeom couldn’t lift weights in the time you went to the gym together?” Jackson jokes. 

“He was more into other stuff, I guess,” Jinyoung shrugs. “Not that we ever went often. Just once, during one summer.” 

_God_ , Jackson thinks. If he doesn’t ever stop getting reminded of that summer, he’s going to have to start biting down on his tongue. Jackson still can’t stop thinking about that one piece of information that Jaebeom told him, and he wishes he could forget. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Jinyoung asks, and nudges Jackson’s shoulder. He’s standing next to him now, waiting to take Jackson’s place. 

“Nothing,” Jackson smiles, trying to play it off as normal. Before he can switch and lay down on the bench, Jackson lets his hand brush against Jinyoung’s arm. “You must be kidding about benching,” Jackson comments. 

“I’m serious,” Jinyoung says, and before he can nudge him again, Jackson finally takes his spot on the bench so they can finally switch. 

“Tell me I look fine from this angle,” Jackson’s fully laid across the bench, and he’s looking up at Jinyoung the same way he was earlier. 

“More than fine,” Jinyoung’s leaning against the bar, and Jackson doesn’t mind this angle at all. 

* * *

After the gym, Jackson guesses they had to have been there for two hours. He’s a little sore, but nothing he can’t handle after being on his feet all day on Saturday. When he gets home, Jackson flops down on the couch, and tries to keep himself awake so he doesn’t take another nap. It wasn’t even four yet, and has already given up on the thought of making dinner later.

He keeps thinking about the small moment before he left the gym. They were in the locker room, and Jackson was changing into a fresh t-shirt since he actually kept a locker at this gym. Jinyoung didn’t have any other clothes, so Jackson let him borrow one of his. 

Jackson thinks he could’ve imagined it, when Jinyoung’s eyes lingered on Jackson’s lower body. He thinks that he was the one who was obvious the entire time at the gym, but he never expected Jinyoung to actually look back. 

Jackson tries to ignore it again. It’s all out of impulse, anyways. Jinyoung is the only other person in his life besides Yugyeom who’s getting too close. He wonders how long they’ll keep this up for, and Jackson is going to have to keep brushing it out of his mind. He wasn’t going to be the other person, or someone to act on his urges. 

He didn’t want to admit it. Not to himself, or anyone else. He thinks he likes Jinyoung, but Jackson doesn’t know how to sort through his feelings. It’s never going to go anywhere, and it’ll be just a harmless crush. Jackson will finish planning their wedding, and at the end of the day, Jackson doesn’t need to see him ever again. It wasn’t that hard for him to avoid people, especially since he’s been known to be attached to his work. 

After all this is over, Jackson thinks that it’s probably his only solution. Hope to god that he’ll never have to see Jinyoung again, or ever have Jaebeom and Mark invite him over so they can all hang out together. That’s if Jaebeom ever answers his calls again, because Jackson’s concern keeps growing. 

He lays down on his side on the couch, and scrolls through his phone again. All his last messages to Jaebeom have been marked as read, and Jackson doesn’t know what else he can do to help fix it. He can’t get inside Mark’s head, but he can’t with Jaebeom, either. 

Jackson’s about to look through take-out options, since dinner is a lost cause, but as soon as he scrolls through his contacts list, Mark’s name is showing up across his screen on the caller ID. He opts to let his phone keep ringing. Jackson doesn’t have the energy right now, and he’ll make sure to call Mark back later. For now, he sets his phone on the coffee table, face down, and ends up taking that nap. 

* * *

When Jackson’s not busy, he’s relieved at how much free time he gets to just hang out in his office with Yugyeom. There’s no point in actually being at work, but Jackson likes to take the time to do simple tasks, and planning ahead. Yugyeom always goes through his emails before Jackson reviews potential new clients. 

He wasn’t taking any more for the time being, since the Bennet party in sixth months had a large wedding that was going to take up a lot of Jackson’s time. He even hesitated taking on Jinyoung’s, since it was in such a tight time period. He’s just happy that Jinyoung has a smaller wedding party. 

Today, they’re going to look over table sets, and colors, and it’s always Jackson’s least favorite part. There’s so many last minute changes, and picking flowers always gets people arguing.

Yugyeom peeps over from his laptop, and Jackson just looks past his monitors, lowering his glasses down his nose bridge to stare at Yugyeom.

“Do I have to be here to show the wedding sets?” Yugyeom asks. He usually sets all of them up in their office, but today Jackson has to go to BamBam's because they borrowed each other’s samples often for sets. 

“You can go home,” Jackson says, and hands him his leftovers from lunch. “I know you’re busy with your thesis?” 

“Yes,” Yugyeom nods, and takes the bag from Jackson’s hand. “Thank you again.” 

“Just as long as you don’t quit and start working for BamBam instead,” Jackson smiles. “Then we’re good.” 

“God, I would never,” Yugyeom shakes his head. “He has _three_ assistants.” 

“I know he’s pretty much my only competitor,” Jackson comments. “But three?” 

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know,” Yugyeom picks up his bag off the floor, and slings it over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow!” 

“Bye,” Jackson says, and waves while Yugyeom makes his way out the door. It was only after three, and Jackson still had to collect his stuff to meet Jinyoung in the lobby. It wasn’t for another fifteen minutes, so he turns off all his computers and sits in his chair just to play with his phone for a bit. 

He hasn’t spoken to Jaebeom for a few days now. Jackson sent texts, but Jaebeom left all of them on read. Mark called him yesterday, but Jackson never got around to answering it. He lets his finger hover over the call button, and hesitantly presses the button. He doesn’t want Mark to think he’s against him, but it’s hard since Jackson knew Jaebeom first.

Jackson holds it to his ear, and listens as the phone’s dull ringing drones through. He almost expects it to go to voicemail, but Mark finally picks up at the last second. 

He doesn’t say anything. 

Jackson holds in his breath, and he hears Mark sigh on the other line. There’s a tiny bit of background music, and Jackson thinks that he’s still with Jaebeom, at least. 

“I assume you’ve heard,” Mark finally speaks into the phone. 

“Yeah,” Jackson says dryly. “Is Jaebeom at home?” he asks. 

“No,” Mark answers. His voice sounds even smaller than before, and Jackson doesn’t know what else to say. “I thought—” Mark takes a deep breath. “I thought he was with you.” 

“He hasn’t been texting or answering any of my calls,” Jackson replies honestly. “He told me he would talk to you.” 

“Fuck,” Mark’s voice sounds so far away from the phone, and Jackson thinks he forgets to mute himself. He can hear the music turn off, and the clatter of something being thrown across the room. If Jackson heard correctly, he thinks Mark might be crying. “I’m sorry,” Mark finally breathes out again. “I don’t know what to do.” 

“You love Jaebeom, right?” Jackson asks. He’s certain Mark will say yes. It’s only a given. 

“I do,” he answers. “So much.” 

“Then—” Jackson pauses, and holds the phone a little further away from his face. He doesn’t want to be too hard on Mark, but he’s known Jaebeom longer. “Then why don’t you want to get married?” 

“It’s just a paper, isn’t it?” Mark asks. “My sister, she got divorced last year,” he adds. “I don’t want that to be us.” 

“It’s not just a paper,” Jackson says. “Not to Jaebeom. You know how important this is to him.” 

“What if I mess this up?” Mark continues. “What if I mess this up more than I already have?” 

“What else is there?” Jackson pushes. “What’s stopping you?” 

“I—” Mark goes silent, and Jackson waits on the other line. He’s still breathing, and Jackson thinks he can hear the faintest sound of a door opening. “I gotta go, he’s back,” Mark whispers into the phone. 

Jackson doesn’t even get the chance to say goodbye, and the line goes dead. He locks his phone, and puts it in his pocket. Jackson sits at his desk for a while, still thinking about the conversation with Mark. He wonders where Jaebeom has been these last few days, and Jackson can’t stop worrying. Jaebeom always made sure to check in with Jackson, no matter how small a fight was. He’s been with Mark for almost three years now, and they’ve always been inseparable. 

He stares down at his watch, and tries to clear his head before his meeting with Jinyoung. He’s still about five minutes out, and Jackson works on closing the office and cleaning everything up for the day before he goes down to the lobby of the building. 

It doesn’t do much, because Jackson’s still worried. He hopes his meeting won’t go on for too long, because Jackson really wants to check in with Mark again after all this is over. His office is already as tidy as it gets, mostly because Yugyeom cleans often and Jackson hates seeing his desk in a mess. It’s the planner in him that needs everything to be perfectly organized, or else nothing will work.

Jackson takes all the sticky notes off of his monitor, throwing the ones from the Lee party into the waste bin. He takes the few notes he made for Jinyoung— and sticks them into his notepad before putting it into his bag. He locks up his office for the day, and when Jackson takes the stairs down he can already see Jinyoung waiting for him in the lobby.

“You’re early,” Jackson says, and looks down at his watch. 

“I think I’m just on time,” Jinyoung smiles. “Where’s BamBam’s office?” 

“Not too far from here,” Jackson answers. “He’s got everything.” 

“Should we walk?” Jinyoung asks. “Or I can drive?” 

“Let’s just walk,” Jackson replies. 

Jinyoung walks out the door first, and Jackson follows behind him. It was pretty warm out, and Jackson unbuttons his shirt collar so he can breathe a little easier. He keeps fidgeting with the strap of his bag, and Jackson still feels a little uneasy after his phone call with Mark. It’s been a few days, and Jackson has no idea where Jaebeom has been this entire time. 

He sighs, and doesn’t realize that Jinyoung jogs a little bit just to catch up with Jackson’s fast walking pace. He slows down, and Jinyoung matches his pace, walking side by side. He doesn’t say anything, and Jackson tries to think about something else. Picking colors, tablesets, and even doing the registry is something that Jackson has done dozens of times, but usually under the direction of two people arguing while he sits through it all. 

Jackson thinks that today will probably be easier, but he still has no idea what Jinyoung even wants. 

“Is there something wrong?” Jinyoung asks. “We can reschedule.” 

“No, there isn't,” Jackson sighs. “It’s just, have you talked to Jaebeom these past few days?” 

“I have, actually,” Jinyoung says, and Jackson notices Jinyoung’s expression fall a little bit. “He’s been staying with me.” 

“Are you fucking serious?” Jackson asks. “All this time I’ve been worried he’s just, gone off somewhere, and he’s been with you the entire time?” 

“He didn’t want me to tell anyone,” Jinyoung says honestly. 

“I’m sorry, I just,” Jackson sighs again. “We shouldn’t be talking about this during working hours.” 

“I get it,” Jinyoung says, and stops in his tracks. “You were just worried about a friend.” 

“Let’s just,” Jackson adjusts his bag against his shoulder, and takes his notepad out. “Let’s just start thinking about colors, and flowers.” 

“I have no idea where to start,” Jinyoung’s confidence wavers, and it’s no surprise to Jackson that Jinyoung’s been a little lost this entire time. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jackson assures him. “We’ll get it taken care of.” 

* * *

Colors. Jackson remembers arguing with Youngjae about colors when they were planning. It was blue and gold, but all Jackson remembers was hating it. Jinyoung has nothing in mind, and doesn’t even have any suggestions from Seulgi. 

“Favorite color?” Jackson asks, and holds out a palette of colors to choose from. The air conditioning in BamBam’s office is on blast, and Jackson feels uncomfortably cold while he keeps arranging the color samples on the table. “Seulgi didn’t have anything in mind?” 

“We haven’t talked much about all this stuff,” Jinyoung admits shyly. “She likes orange, or yellow.” 

“Seems…” Jackson trails off. “Nevermind. I’ve got some nice stuff with yellow sets that work?” 

“Seems what?” Jinyoung asks. 

“Nothing,” Jackson replies, his voice calm. “How about yellow and blush?” 

Jackson pulls out the colors, and he starts thinking about flower arrangements that could work well with the theme. He starts scribbling down notes, trying to figure out all the best options. Jinyoung’s taste was simpler, which made everything a little easier for Jackson when it came to one person’s opinions on a wedding. 

“It probably seems like we don’t want to get married at all, doesn’t it?” Jinyoung asks, sounding completely honest. 

“It—” Jackson pauses, and tries to figure out a kinder way to phrase his words. They don’t come out of his mouth. 

“We’ve had a few breaks,” Jinyoung admits. “We’ve been together since high school, like I’ve already told you,” he pauses, and Jinyoung holds the sample of the color blush in his palm. He circles it in his hands, and Jackson still doesn’t know what to say. “It’s just… easy like this.” 

“Easy?” Jackson asks. “How can this be easy?” 

“I plan, Seulgi goes along with it,” Jinyoung shrugs. “But I wish there was more, because I don’t know how to plan for something that’s supposed to be meant for the both of us.” 

“She’s still on tour, then?” Jackson asks. He assumes so, if Jaebeom was spending time at his place. 

“Till the end of the month,” Jinyoung runs his fingers through his hair, and sets the blush card down. “She’ll have a break for a week, then she’s back on the road.” 

“So we’ll see each other at the cake tasting, then?” Jackson asks. 

“No,” Jinyoung sighs, and slumps back in his chair. “She’s got a shoot that day.” 

“Well,” Jackson says, trying to lighten up the mood a little. “There’ll be more cake for us, then.” 

“Yes,” Jinyoung smiles sadly. “More cake.” 

Jackson tries to study his expression, and Jinyoung’s face looks more fallen than before. It’s his eyes, and Jackson looks away. He’s not going to give any input, because it’s none of his business. Couples don’t ask Jackson for counseling, and he does not expect to give it either. 

At the end of the day, Jackson always knew any couples who fought over something as simple as colors, always made up. Jackson’s seen the amount of stress people have been under, and at the end product of it all, he’s seen a lot of happy couples. 

When Jinyoung’s hand starts shaking against the table, is when Jackson thinks he has to step in. As a friend, at least. He places his hand over Jinyoung’s and squeezes it lightly. Jinyoung doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t stir in his seat. They sit quietly like that, and Jackson smooths his palm over Jinyoung’s hand when it stops shaking. 

“This week has just been hard,” Jinyoung says, his voice low and a little shaky. “I’ve been dealing with Jaebeom and Mark, and this whole wedding, it’s too much.” 

“That’s why you have me,” Jackson intertwines his finger’s with Jinyoung’s, and gently squeezes his hand again. “I’m here to make things easier.” 

It’s Jackson’s job, after all. Wedding planners could be considered less common at this point, but it doesn’t stop him from doing his work. 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung mumbles. 

Jinyoung’s hands are a little clammy, but when Jackson tries to let go, Jinyoung clings onto him for a little longer. He rubs his thumb against Jackson’s, and his hand is so warm. The air conditioning doesn’t feel as cold anymore, and Jinyoung’s expression clears, looking a little easier now. 

“Jaebeom didn’t want to bother you,” Jinyoung says, a little louder this time. “He didn’t want to remind you about…” Jinyoung pauses, as he’s already pointing out the obvious. Jackson knows there’s only one person they could be talking about. 

Jackson’s moved on. It’s been over a year, and even after seeing Youngjae again, he thinks it was just shock. Not a single phone call, text, or letter from Youngjae in all that time. He thinks their run-in could be considered closure at this point, because the feelings are long gone. He’s not angry, or bitter, but Jackson just wants to move on with his life. 

“I think,” Jackson says, and sits up in his chair. “Not even think— I know. I’ve moved on.” 

He appreciates Jaebeom’s consideration, but Jackson is always going to be a loyal friend. It’s about time he closed that chapter in his life, and everything is over. 

“But he went back to Mark’s, didn’t he?” Jackson asks. 

“He did,” Jinyoung nods. “He’ll be okay. The both of them will be.” 

Jackson still doesn’t know if that’s a guarantee. He doesn’t know how close Jinyoung and Jaebeom are, but Jackson’s not going to push any further. He just wants to get the colors, tablesets, and flower arrangement done so Jackson can hit the gym and go home. He slides the yellow card across the table. It’s a deep ochre color, and pairs it with the blush pink that Jinyoung was holding. 

“These colors,” Jackson changes the subject, getting them back on track. His best professional face is on, and Jackson seems to forget all the flower arrangements he had in mind. “A yes, then?” 

“Yes,” Jinyoung’s smile is still sad, never reaching his eyes completely. Everything about this wedding feels like it’s just being settled, and nothing that Jackson gives him is even something he wants. The wedding would still be beautiful, but the end product is something that Jackson remains unsure of himself. 

Jinyoung is quicker with his options. He picks one of the first sets that Jackson lays out for him, one that looked similar to the photo of other wedding venues that Jackson planned for. It would be the perfect wedding. Jackson can picture it now. He just doesn’t know if Jinyoung or Seulgi even want it. 

* * *

The day that the cake tasting finally rolls around, Jackson doesn’t know if he’s even looking forward to it. He’s tried hundreds of cakes, to the point where he doesn’t even need to taste them anymore, remembering everything by name and appearance. He’s waiting for Jinyoung at the bakery, sitting at the table while doodling in his notebook. There’s scribbles in the margins, along with the notes where Jinyoung had told him that he’s also simple when it comes to cake. 

Jackson had the basic selections when it came to cake tasting. Vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet. There’s different assortments of frosting and fillings, like various fruits. Jackson wrinkles his nose, since the smell of all of them is too sweet. 

He closes his notebook, just as the bell attached to the bakery’s door rings when it opens. The sun breaks through, and Jinyoung’s finally here. Jackson pulls the chair next to him out, and Jinyoung joins him. 

“So, the cake,” Jinyoung says, and places his hands on the table. “Do I just try whatever I want?” he asks. 

“You can try all of them,” Jackson motions to the palette of cupcake samples. “You paid for all of them, anyways.” 

Jinyoung reaches forward, picking the first cupcake. It’s regular vanilla, and the buttercream is a light pink color. It was supposed to match the blush for the colors Jinyoung picked for the wedding, and Jackson watches as Jinyoung takes a small bite out of it. 

“It’s simple,” Jinyoung finishes his bite, and sets the cupcake back down on the plate. “I like this one.” 

“Well, you have a few more to try before you decide,” Jackson points at the plate again. “They’re all a little plain, so I think you might like all of them.” 

“Is there an option to do multiple layers?” Jinyoung asks. “If I wanted too.” 

“Of course,” Jackson nods. “We can order four tier cakes here.” 

“Let me just call Seulgi for a moment,” Jinyoung excuses himself from the table, and gets up from his chair to walk over to the bakery window. 

Jackson remembers that Jinyoung mentioned Seulgi was back in the city for the week— except that today she had a shoot, or was busy doing something. Jinyoung holds his phone to his ear, and he paces by the window. He bites on his fingernail, and Jackson watches as his face lights up just a little bit when Seulgi presumably answers the phone. 

Jinyoung turns to face the window, and Jackson can’t see his expression anymore. He looks back down at his notebook, and lets Jinyoung have his private moment. Jackson stares at the extra cake samples— since there are two of each. He takes the same, plain vanilla one that Jinyoung had taken a bite out of just a few minutes ago, and takes a small bite out of it. The bakery’s always been one of his favorites, which is why he keeps coming back to recommend it to others. 

He sets down half of the cupcake on his own plate, and doodles in his notebook again. There’s more scribbles in the margins, and he takes note of Jinyoung potentially wanting a four layer cake. 

When Jackson turns to look at Jinyoung again, things are different. Jinyoung isn’t facing the window anymore, and he’s leaning on his side against one of the counters. He looks a little frustrated, the same as that day that they first met. Jinyoung’s voice raises a bit, and Jackson can hear him clearly. 

“Can you just,” Jinyoung sighs out. “Tell me what you want, because I’m tired of guessing.”

Jackson obviously can’t hear Seulgi on the other line, but he looks away again to give Jinyoung his privacy. It still doesn’t help, because Jackson winces when he can hear Jinyoung again. 

“Yeah,” Jinyoung says, sounding a little quieter now. “I’ll see you at home. I love you too.” 

Jinyoung walks back to the table, and sits back in his chair next to Jackson. The chair creaks, and Jinyoung drags it across the floor loudly to scoot closer to the table. Jackson feels their knees bump together, and Jinyoung sighs loudly again. 

“I might as well try the rest,” Jinyoung settles again, and reaches for the second cupcake sample. 

Jinyoung takes a larger bite this time— it’s a red velvet cupcake. Jackson goes ahead and takes a bite out of the second cupcake too, just to keep himself from saying anything. 

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Jinyoung asks. “Red velvet and vanilla are my favorite flavors.” 

“Yes,” Jackson nods. “Red velvet is the specialty at this bakery.”

“I’ll save this half for later,” Jinyoung says, and puts down his cupcake on the separate plate in front of him. “We can save them, right?” 

“Of course,” Jackson smiles. “They have a little box here at the end, so you can bring the rest for Seulgi, too.” 

“Right,” Jinyoung grumbles. “Next flavor, then,” he says, and picks up the chocolate one. 

Jinyoung takes his time sampling the rest, as if he’s already made up his mind on the vanilla and red velvet. Jackson’s still biting his tongue, keeping himself from saying anything about the overheard phone call. If Jinyoung wants to talk to him about it, he can, but he won’t press. 

Jackson takes a bite out of a few samples himself, since it’s nearing dinner time and his lunch was a little too light. He licks the frosting off of his own lip, and finishes the first cupcake. He didn’t have much of a sweet tooth these days, since he’s had enough wedding cake for a lifetime. 

When Jinyoung gets to the last sample, it’s almost like he draws it out even further. Jackson suspects he’s not ready to go home yet, and it’s almost like an advert. Jinyoung takes a small bite this time, and Jackson can’t remember the flavor— something lemon. The frosting gets smeared all over Jinyoung’s upper lip, and he laughs when Jinyoung sets down the cupcake back onto the plate. 

He can’t find the napkins, and Jackson knew he made a mistake when he forgot to bring his bag.

“Here,” Jackson says, and leans closer to Jinyoung. They’re face to face now, and Jackson gently swipes two fingers across Jinyoung’s upper lip, brushing the frosting off of it. 

“We don’t have any napkins,” Jinyoung says. 

Jackson holds in his breath, and just when he’s about to pull his fingers away, Jinyoung wraps his own fingers around Jackson’s hand, bringing them back to his lips. Jackson can’t tear his eyes away from Jinyoung’s lips, and watches as he slowly parts them open. Jinyoung slips Jackson’s fingers into his mouth, down to the knuckle, licking the frosting clean off of his fingers. 

Jinyoung looks him right in the eye, and Jackson swallows, feeling Jinyoung’s tongue still swirling around his fingers. Jinyoung slowly draws them out of his mouth, and Jackson doesn’t know if it’s intentional or to get every last bit of frosting off of Jackson’s fingers. A bit of spit lingers on his fingers, and Jackson doesn’t have any idea what to do now, since they definitely still do not have any napkins. 

“Would be a shame to waste, wouldn’t it?” Jinyoung teases. He’s leaning closer to Jackson now, and he can’t seem to move away. If he got any closer, their noses would brush together again, just like that time outside the restaurant.

If this were any other situation, Jackson would’ve played back into it. He’s all for flirting, but the stark of reality hits him in the face. Jinyoung is getting married, and nothing is going to change it, even if no one can see this wedding is going to fail before it even begins. 

“I’d still like a napkin, though,” Jackson still can’t look away from Jinyoung’s eyes, and he thinks Jinyoung sees it too. His gaze is almost too much, and even more when Jinyoung obviously looks at Jackson’s lips and back at his eyes. 

“Jackson—” Jinyoung’s voice is so low, and Jackson tries to ignore the call. “I—” 

“Take this box,” Jackson quickly diverts his attention, and hands him the empty take-home box with the hand that Jinyoung didn’t just put in his mouth. He wishes he could forget the way Jinyoung’s tongue worked around his fingers, and tries not to think about how he would’ve probably kissed Jinyoung. If he wasn’t getting married. “Seulgi would love the extras, wouldn’t she?” 

“Yes,” Jinyoung’s voice wavers. “She would.” 

Jinyoung takes the box in his hands, and Jackson finally turns away. He pretends to write something down in his notebook, and appears to be busy. He looks at the rest of the untasted samples, and Jackson silently passes them over on the table. 

“You can decide today,” Jackson says, his voice sounding completely professional. “Just call me tomorrow, and then I can set the order up with the bakery to get the cake secured, and put down the deposit.” 

“Deposit?” Jinyoung asks. He’s looking at Jackson again, still holding the box in his hands while placing some of the cupcakes inside. “We have to put deposits down for cake?” 

“Yes,” Jackson says. “It’s about 50%, non-refundable.” 

“That’s reasonable,” Jinyoung hums, and closes the lid to the box. He places it onto the table, and Jackson looks at his hands. “Jackson,” Jinyoung starts.

“Yes?” Jackson sits up in his seat, and looks at Jinyoung again. He still feels so drawn in, and Jackson feels guilty for even staring down at Jinyoung’s lips again. 

“I just remembered,” Jinyoung laughs, and pulls out a handkerchief from his inside jacket pocket. It’s a plain color, and he passes it off to Jackson. “For your hand.” 

“Thanks,” Jackson takes the handkerchief, using it to wipe off his fingers. 

Jackson doesn’t look away. If there’s one thing he has it’s confidence. He wasn’t going to break, just because of Jinyoung. He can keep going, being professional. Jinyoung was just considered a friend now, and there’s no harm in flirting with friends. He’s no stranger to that. 

“I’ll see you next time, then?” Jinyoung asks. 

“I’ll call you,” Jackson replies. “Just whenever—” 

Jackson stops when Jinyoung reaches for Jackson’s face, brushing the pad of his thumb along Jackson’s lower lip. Jinyoung doesn’t linger, and quickly swipes his thumb across before he can say anything else. Jackson just tries to hold in the groan when Jinyoung brings his thumb to his own lips, licking off the stray bit of frosting. 

Jinyoung swipes the pad of his thumb across the bottom of his lips, drawing Jackson’s attention to them. It’s so slow, so teasing, and Jackson wonders what he’s even trying to achieve.

“Sorry,” Jinyoung says, his voice gentle and smooth. “You had a bit of frosting hanging off your lip.” 

“Oh,” Jackson breathes. He brings Jinyoung’s handkerchief up to his lips, and wipes it around his mouth. He wonders if it’s ruined now. “I can wash this and give it back to you.” 

“No need,” Jinyoung shakes his head. “Keep it.” 

They lock eyes again, and Jackson can never look away. Jinyoung’s gaze keeps bringing him in, and he’ll let his eyes linger for as long as time will allow him. There’s something that Jackson just can’t shake, even after the overheard phone call, and the moment the frosting spread across Jinyoung’s lips. 

His eyes flicker down towards Jinyoung’s lips again, and Jinyoung catches him staring. 

“I should probably get going,” Jinyoung says, drawing his words out. It seems like he’s going to stall again, but Jackson is taken by surprise when Jinyoung scoots his chair back. 

He gets up from his chair loudly. It screeches across the floor, and the atmosphere still feels as heavy the moment Jinyoung wrapped his hand around Jackson’s fingers. He watches as Jinyoung walks to the bakery door, and just when he thinks Jinyoung isn’t going to look back, he notices the small shift. Jinyoung only turns his head slightly, and Jackson barely catches his eyes. 

  
  



	4. something blue

Jaebeom shows up at Jackson’s door on a Thursday night. He doesn’t look too good, but not bad either. Jackson just opens up his door, and lets Jaebeom inside without saying anything. He locks the door behind him, and Jaebeom has already made himself home on Jackson’s couch. 

It’s been a few weeks since Jackson talked to Mark on the phone, and since then, Jaebeom started answering his texts. Jackson assumes that Jinyoung had something to do with it, but Jaebeom doesn’t even mention it. He still hasn’t said a word, and Jackson just sets a glass of water down on the table in front of him. Jackson sits on the couch next to him, but he’s still hesitant. 

His hands sit folded across his lap, and Jackson waits for Jaebeom to make the first move. Jackson missed a few calls from Mark in the last week, because Jackson’s time was taken up by the Bennet party, and Jackson threw himself into his work. 

“I’ve been staying at Jinyoung’s,” Jaebeom speaks, finally breaking the long silence. “But you already know that.” 

“Are you—” 

“We’re just friends, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jaebeom sighs, and buries his face in his hands. “I just don’t know how to fucking talk to Mark about any of this.” 

“How did it go, that time you went back home?” Jackson asks. “Jinyoung told me.” 

“We had the same exact fight,” Jaebeom’s frustration is clear, and Jackson tries his best to comfort him. Jaebeom’s hands are shaking, the same way they were at the wedding reception that one night. His voice wavers, and Jackson hates seeing him like this. “I just don’t know if he even wants to be with me anymore.” 

“He does,” Jackson says, and rubs his hand down Jaebeom’s back. “He loves you so much.” 

“Why can’t he tell me that himself?” Jaebeom’s voice is even more broken than before, and he’s still hiding his face so Jackson can’t see him cry. “I just, I know there’s something he’s not telling me.” 

“We’ll figure it out, Jaebeom,” Jackson assures him. “We will.” 

“Can I stay here for a night?” Jaebeom asks. “I told Jinyoung I’d go back to Mark’s but I need another day.” 

“Of course,” Jackson nods. “Stay as long as you need.” 

* * *

Jaebeom only stays for two days, and then Jackson sees him off. He makes sure to drive him back all the way to his apartment, and even watches Jaebeom go inside the building. It’s almost the same as that night after Jackson drove him home from the wedding they worked. He doesn’t wait for a text, and goes straight to work instead. 

Jinyoung didn’t have anymore in-person appointments he needed to come to. Jackson set up his wedding registry online, and from then on, Jackson didn’t need to see him in person. Jinyoung just sends him the deposits for the things Jackson needs, and everything is good to go. 

It feels different now that Jackson isn’t waiting for his appointments with Jinyoung. He found himself looking forward to them, but he felt a large shift after the cake tasting. He doesn’t know if he can look at Jinyoung the same again without thinking about that moment. He spaces out at his desk, while staring blankly at his computer monitor. It has the details for Jinyoung and Seulgi’s wedding across the screen, and Yugyeom catches his attention. 

“Jackson?” Yugyeom says, and throws a small paper airplane at Jackson’s desk. “Are you in there?” 

“Yes,” Jackson blinks, and looks away from his monitor. “What’s up?” 

“You were staring at the screen for like, ten minutes,” Yugyeom says, looking concerned. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jackson nods. “Everything’s okay. All the plans look perfect.” 

Everything on paper looks perfect. Jackson never settled for anything less than perfect. All of his weddings are. That’s why his clients keep recommending him to other people, and why he’s so hard to get an appointment with. Jinyoung was lucky that BamBam had taken Jackson to one of Midnight Crush’s shows. If he never saw Seulgi’s name in the email, he didn’t think he’d ever take the time to meet them. 

It only turned out to be the opposite. Jackson never met Seulgi, only having seen her once at a concert from a far away section. At this rate he thinks he’ll only meet her on the day of the rehearsal dinner.

“Any more appointments with Jinyoung?” Yugyeom asks. 

“No,” Jackson shakes his head, and opens his calendar on his computer. Scheduling dance lessons were always optional, but Jackson doesn’t see a point. He didn’t bother asking Jinyoung, and there could always be another time. “No more appointments.” 

* * *

Jackson isn’t exactly avoiding Jinyoung, but he isn’t going around looking for him either. Appointments slowed down after the venue, and getting all the right equipment rented. The flower arrangements and cake were all ordered, with the non-refundable deposits put in. Everything was coming together quickly, and the wedding felt like it was approaching even faster. 

Even if Jackson isn’t avoiding Jinyoung, he’s still running into him in places where he doesn’t expect. They show up to the gym on the same days, and when Jaebeom invites him out to dinner, Jinyoung is there with him. 

The dinner isn’t awkward, but Jackson feels a little left out when he realizes that Jaebeom’s known Jinyoung longer than he’s known Jackson. 

“So it’s been a while, hasn’t it, Jackson?” Jinyoung asks. He’s already halfway done with his food, and Jackson can’t distract himself any longer. 

“Been busy,” Jackson shrugs. “Bennet party is taking up a lot of my time. I also picked up another client.” 

“He’s dedicated,” Jaebeom says, and reaches over to squeeze Jackson’s shoulder. He smiles briefly, but Jackson quickly shoves the last bite of food into his mouth to avoid having to say anything else. 

Jaebeom and Jinyoung start talking about some gallery coming up, and Jackson just glazes over the details. He’s too absorbed in thinking about the Bennet wedding, and Jinyoung’s in the coming weeks because it was so close. Jackson was already thinking of a time when he should book his flight to get smarter price options, and when he looks up from his plate, he realizes that Jaebeom is gone. 

“Where’d he go?” Jackson asks. 

“Phone call,” Jinyoung answers, and takes a long sip from his drink. Jackson only noticed as Jinyoung’s had a little too much to drink tonight, and Jackson hopes that Jaebeom will be the one to drive them all home at the end of the night.

“You good?” Jackson asks. 

“Yeah,” Jinyoung nods, and takes another sip from his drink. “More than.”

A few short minutes later, Jaebeom comes back to the table. His hair is a mess, like he’s been running his hands through it. Jaebeom’s wallet is out, and he’s already throwing down a few bills on the table and collecting his stuff in a hurry. 

“What’s going on?” Jackson asks, trying to calm the situation. 

“It’s Mark’s family,” Jaebeom replies, sounding frantic. “His brother got in a car accident, I need to go to the hospital.” 

“Hey,” Jackson’s voice is soft now, and Jaebeom’s looking at him with a little more ease. “I’ll cover dinner, and you meet up with Mark. Everything will be fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Jaebeom asks. 

“Go,” Jackson says. “I’ll take care of everything.” 

“Thanks, Jackson.” 

Jaebeom leaves the restaurant, and Jackson settles back in his chair. He was almost done eating anyways, but Jackson can’t help but notice that Jinyoung’s ordered another drink. Jackson’s lost count of how many Jinyoung has had during the night, and since Jaebeom left, Jackson assumes he’s responsible for taking Jinyoung home. 

He gets a box for his leftovers, and Jackson just sits and waits for Jinyoung to get himself together. His face looks a little flushed, and it’s only now that Jackson realizes how red his ears look. Jackson goes ahead and packs up Jinyoung’s food in a take-out box, and gives his card for the waiter to pay for their meal. 

Jinyoung looks less put together than earlier, and his hair falls across his forehead. He’s leaning back in his seat, and Jackson thinks he might have fallen asleep. When the waiter comes back with Jackson’s card, he gets up from his seat just to wake Jinyoung up, because Jackson nudging him wasn’t enough. 

“Can’t,” Jinyoung whines. “I’m sleepy.” 

“Who let you have so many drinks?” Jackson complains, and leans down so he can get Jinyoung’s arm around him to lift him up. 

Jinyoung’s still whining, and leans against Jackson as he helps him up. Jackson didn’t drive, and he assumes Jinyoung did. Unless Jaebeom gave him one, then they’re all fucked over. 

“Jinyoung,” Jackson asks, gently holding Jinyoung against his shoulder. “Did you drive?” 

“Mm,” Jinyoung mumbles. “Keys.” 

“Where, Jinyoung?” Jackson sighs. 

“My pocket,” he huffs. “I can’t reach.” 

Jinyoung was even more annoying when he was drunk, and makes it impossible for Jackson to reach over to find the keys in his pocket. It was too warm for a jacket, and he tries to reach into the pocket in Jinyoung’s pants that was closest to him, only Jinyoung squirms and giggles. 

“Tickles,” Jinyoung whines. “The other pocket.” 

“Jinyoung,” Jackson reaches his hand over, quicker this time, and manages to pry the keys out of Jinyoung’s pocket before he can do anything else. “Finally, there we go.” 

“Can I go home with you?” Jinyoung asks, and presses his face against Jackson’s neck. He’s too warm, and Jackson had no idea how much of a lightweight Jinyoung was. There’s a flush across his cheeks, and he’s burning against his skin. Jackson doesn’t know where Jinyoung lives, and he doesn’t want to reach into his back pocket just to find out his address. He could call Jaebeom, but he doesn’t want to bother him, especially since he’s at the hospital. 

“Yeah, sure,” Jackson sighs. “Just tell me where the car is.” 

“The lot,” Jinyoung mumbles. “The garage right there.” 

It makes things a little easier, since that was the place where Jaebeom usually paid for parking. Jinyoung’s probably already paid, and Jackson just drags Jinyoung along while he searches for his car. 

He’s pressing the button on Jinyoung’s keys, just waiting to find the right car that lights up. It’s almost a lost cause, until Jackson sees a sleek black car with the lights blinking. He tries his best to open the passenger door with one hand, and carefully guides Jinyoung into the seat. He buckles his seatbelt for him, and Jinyoung just lets his hand linger on Jackson’s. 

“Thank you,” Jinyoung breathes out, and closes his eyes while he leans against the headrest. 

* * *

If Jackson thought getting Jinyoung into the car was a challenge, getting him out of it and back up to his apartment was even worse. He’s lucky that the elevator actually works, or else he’d be dragging Jinyoung up flights of stairs when all he wants to do is get into his bed and sleep. 

Of course, Jinyoung is making it difficult for him. At least Jinyoung feels less hot now, and Jackson gives him a glass of water to down the moment that they get into Jackson’s apartment. He dumps Jinyoung on the couch, and barely pulls the throw blanket over Jinyoung. Jackson fills up the glass of water a second time, and leaves it on the coffee table for Jinyoung whenever he needs it. 

He thinks it’s enough to call it a night, and when Jackson tries to leave Jinyoung alone on the couch, Jinyoung reaches for his hand and doesn’t let go. 

“I don’t want to be alone,” Jinyoung’s voice breaks. “I can’t be alone.” 

“We can’t fit on the couch,” Jackson tells him. 

“Let me sleep with you,” Jinyoung asks. “Please.” 

Jackson just sighs, and decides on what to do next. Jinyoung just looks so sad, and Jackson is tired. He wants to go to bed, and maybe after all of this, he’ll just brush it off in the morning. Without even thinking any further, Jackson just takes Jinyoung’s hand, and pulls him up from the couch. 

“Stay on your side of the bed, and we’ll be cool.” 

“Thank you,” Jinyoung mumbles against his shoulder. 

Jackson’s apartment is small, and walking the few steps to his bedroom isn’t bad. The door’s already open, and it’s not that hard for Jinyoung to get situated on one side of the bed. It’s barely queen sized, and Jackson watches as Jinyoung makes himself comfortable, settling onto Jackson’s pile of pillows near the headboard. 

He leaves Jinyoung alone, and goes to brush his teeth in the bathroom before going to bed. Jackson takes his time, not really wanting to share a bed with Jinyoung at all. He’s slept alone for a good amount of time. He was used to it. Jackson enjoyed the luxury of having an entire space to himself, and now Jinyoung’s plopped himself in the middle of it. 

When he rinses off in the sink, Jackson leaves his toothbrush on the counter. He stares at himself in the mirror for a minute, and debates on sleeping on the couch once Jinyoung finally falls asleep. He wouldn’t notice, and Jackson thinks that would probably be the best solution. 

He turns off the lights in the bathroom before going back to his room, and he can see Jinyoung laying there with his eyes closed. Jackson tries to gently close the bathroom door behind him with no sound, but it creaks louder the slower he tries to move. 

“Mm,” Jinyoung hums. “Just sleep already.” 

Jackson doesn’t say anything, but he’s still hesitant. He gets on the bed, but Jackson lays as close to the edge as possible, trying to give Jinyoung his space. He sets his phone on the bedside table, and tries to close his eyes and sleep. 

Jinyoung doesn’t stop there, and he scoots closer to Jackson on the bed. Their bodies aren’t even touching, and Jackson inches a bit closer to the edge. Jinyoung doesn’t say anything, and Jackson just pretends to be asleep. 

His breathing is steady, and he already feels tired enough. Jackson doesn’t know how much time passes, and he still feels Jinyoung shifting on the bed behind him. Jackson can hear him sigh, and a pillow is placed behind Jackson’s back. 

“I didn’t want to be alone,” Jinyoung says again, this time just above a whisper. “Seulgi didn’t want to be alone either.” 

Jackson doesn’t move, and assumes that Jinyoung thinks he’s sound asleep. He wonders if he should say something, but Jinyoung keeps talking. 

“The wedding is cancelled,” Jinyoung confesses. He sounds even sadder than he did earlier, and Jackson tries so hard not to move. “I don’t know how to tell you.” 

It’s been two weeks— almost three since the cake tasting at the bakery. Jackson wonders how long it’s been since Jinyoung and Seulgi broke things off. Jinyoung has put in deposits since then. The rentals, the cake, the flowers, and everything was non-refundable. Jackson’s even more confused now than ever. 

If the wedding is really cancelled, and Jinyoung and Seulgi broke things off, then Jinyoung should’ve told Jackson as soon as possible. He needs to work through cancelling everything. He could at least get some of Jinyoung’s money back, which is Jackson’s job to handle everything. 

He shifts, just a little bit, and turns around to face Jinyoung. He wants to say something, but Jinyoung is already fast asleep, with his face pressed into the pillow. His mouth is slightly parted open, and a bit of drool is building up onto the pillow. Jinyoung looks younger like this, and Jackson just pulls the blanket up so he can finally go to sleep. 

Jackson turns around to face the wall again and doesn’t close his eyes this time. He’s still awake, even though he’s tired from work and everything that’s happened today. Jackson checks his phone, and sees the screen blinking back at him. It’s almost two in the morning. 

He gets out of the bed, and manages not to make a sound. Jackson takes his phone with him, and decides to sleep on the couch after all. 

* * *

In the morning, Jackson wakes up to the smell of coffee and his phone ringing. Jackson slowly blinks his eyes open, and squints at his phone screen when he sees he has fifteen missed calls from Yugyeom. Jackson assumes he’s already slept through his three alarms, which he’s sure he always keeps on. 

“Sorry,” Jinyoung says, and hands him a coffee mug. “I kept turning off all your alarms to let you sleep.” 

“It’s fine,” Jackson groans, and sits up on the couch. He barely got any sleep last night, and he’s supposed to be at the office in fifteen minutes. He’s just lucky he has nothing important planned today, and he’s allowed to be a little late. “I couldn’t sleep last night.” 

“I bet,” Jinyoung takes a sip from another mug, and sits down next to Jackson on the couch. “I’m told that I’m a bit annoying when I’m drunk.” 

“You were fine,” Jackson replies, and just looks down at his phone again to scroll through his messages and emails. Nothing from the Bennet party yet, even though yesterday he had to deal with the couple arguing over the colors on their announcements. 

“Busy with work?” Jinyoung asks. 

“It’s nothing,” Jackson shakes his head, and puts his phone back on the table. “Just checking in and making sure everything’s going smoothly. Just like it should for your wedding, right?” 

It’s a test. Jackson wonders if Jinyoung even remembers. Even if he doesn’t, Jackson assumes that Jinyoung will come clean at some point. The wedding is cancelled, and he’ll need Jackson to take care of everything. That’s why he hired him. 

“Yes,” Jinyoung nods. “Everything should be going well, right? Deposits and everything?” 

“Yes, of course,” Jackson tries not to stutter over his words, still a little shocked that Jinyoung is still putting on this face. He wonders who it’s even for. Was it for Jackson, or was it for the both of them? Just so they could stop pretending that there was something more than friendship that could happen between them. 

He looks at Jinyoung, and he avoids eye contact with Jackson. Jinyoung is hiding information, and the longer it goes on, Jackson doesn’t know what else to do. His eyes flicker down towards Jinyoung’s lips, and he thinks about the bakery again. 

“I should probably go,” Jinyoung laughs, but Jackson can sense the nervousness in his voice. “Do you have my keys?” 

“Yeah, let me just grab them,” Jackson says, and gets up from the couch. He left them somewhere on one of the counters, and Jackson finds it in between the glass of water and the empty take out container he left in the kitchen the other day. 

He hands the keys back to Jinyoung, and the pads of their fingers barely brush together. Jackson doesn’t linger, and immediately lets go of the keys. 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung smiles up at him. “For everything, really,” Jinyoung adds. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“You did pay me,” Jackson clears his throat, and tries to test Jinyoung again. “For the wedding stuff.” 

“Is there really nothing else we have to do?” Jinyoung asks, and Jackson swears his eyes fall, just before putting on a bright expression again. “Nothing at all?” 

“No,” Jackson shakes his head. “No more meetings necessary. Unless you want to overhaul and change the entire thing,” Jackson sighs. “But please don’t do that.” 

“No, nothing I need to change,” Jinyoung’s lips are pulled tightly together, and Jackson can’t read the neutral expression on his face. He still can’t get Jinyoung to tell him what he said last night. He’s wasting money, time, and Jackson wonders why Jinyoung continues to keep playing along like this. 

“By the way,” Jackson reaches for his phone on the coffee table, and checks to see if there’s any updates from Jaebeom. “If you don’t remember, Jaebeom had to leave last night.” 

“Oh,” Jinyoung nods. “I remember. I’ll probably have time to swing by the hospital and check on him and Mark.” 

“Do you mind if I come?” Jackson asks. “I’m sure he’ll want to see some familiar faces.” 

“Of course,” Jinyoung holds his keys tightly in his hand, and Jackson wonders if he’ll say it now. “Just let me know when you’re out of work.” 

“Yeah,” Jackson says, and lets his eyes wander towards the door. Jackson should be leaving right now, but he was letting Jinyoung keep him. 

He wonders if this is all Jinyoung, trying to spend more time with him even after everything was already over. It’s done now. Jackson doesn’t need to see Jinyoung in any unnecessary circumstances unless it involves the wedding. 

“I really do have to go to work,” Jackson checks his phone again, seeing a message from Yugyeom pop up across his screen. “I’ll see you later, then?” 

“I’m sorry, again,” Jinyoung frowns. “I’m probably taking up all of your time.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jackson tries to smile, but he can’t bring himself to put on a good face. “Everything will be perfect.” 

“Sure it will,” Jinyoung still looks unsure, and Jackson holds in his breath. “I’ll get going, then.” 

Jinyoung leaves just as quickly as he left the bakery. Jackson just watches, and Jinyoung’s back is facing him now. He’s walking towards the door, and when Jinyoung wraps his hand around the doorknob, he looks back. It’s not like at the bakery. Jinyoung’s body turns, and he looks at Jackson one last time. 

“Take care,” Jackson calls after him. 

Jinyoung doesn’t say anything, and Jackson watches as he turns to face the door again. His hand is still wrapped around the handle, and Jinyoung seems to hesitate. Jackson just waits, as if Jinyoung is finally going to spill the truth any second. 

But it doesn’t happen. 

The door opens, and Jinyoung is gone. 

* * *

Yugyeom looks unimpressed when Jackson strolls into the office one hour later. He gets to his desk, and sees that Yugyeom already did him the favor of turning his computer on for him. Jackson doesn’t say anything, and sits down in his chair, with a cup of coffee in hand. 

“You’re late,” Yugyeom huffs. His arms are crossed, and he’s still glaring at Jackson. “I had to answer fifteen calls from the Bennets.” 

“Oh, fuck,” Jackson groans, and lets his head fall against the desk. “Do I need to call them back?” 

“I took care of it all,” Yugyeom says. He sounds so calm, and Jackson wonders when Yugyeom picked up on this skill. “Let’s just say that you owe me and I’ll collect another time.” 

“Thank god,” Jackson could almost cry, and when he looks up at his computer screen, he can see his email open. It’s from the Bennet party, and there’s no worries. For a wedding party so big, and still a few months from now, Jackson can still feel the stress seeping in. 

Jackson answers all his emails, and when he’s done organizing his calendar, he pulls up the plans for Jinyoung and Seulgi’s wedding again. They had a whole block of rooms booked at a hotel in San Francisco, and the venue completely paid for. Jinyoung always said money wasn’t an issue, and Jackson looks at all the other plans. Everything about the wedding was traditional and simple, as per Jinyoung’s tastes. He doesn’t know how much of the wedding that Seulgi had helped Jinyoung give input on, but he guesses he won’t find out now. 

Jackson spins around in his chair, and sighs. He ignores Yugyeom’s questioning looks, and when he turns back to his computer, his phone starts ringing. He checks the screen, only to be surprised by a number that he doesn’t know. 

He decides that answering it could be a bad idea. It could be a potential new client, which Jackson didn’t feel like taking any more on at the moment. It could also be spam, and he could let it go to voicemail. Something tells him to answer it though, just in case it could possibly be news about Mark’s family at the hospital. 

“Hello?” Jackson says, finally answering the phone. 

“Hi,” a voice replies. “Is this Jackson Wang?”

“Yes,” Jackson answers. “How can I help you?” 

“It’s Seulgi,” she sounds like she’s in a busy area, but the background music quickly goes away. “From the Park-Kang wedding.” 

“What can I do?” Jackson asks. 

“Well, you see, I’m sure Jinyoung’s already told you,” she goes on, and Jackson can hear a door close. “The wedding is cancelled.” 

“Are you sure you’re not postponing?” Jackson asks. “I can always just call the venues, and rental companies and get everything pushed back if you need.” 

“Oh, you might’ve misunderstood me,” Seulgi corrects. “I mean, the wedding is cancelled. Jinyoung and I broke up.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jackson knows exactly how to proceed at this point, and he already gets his plans open on the computer to get ready to cancel everything and get half of the deposits back. “He didn’t tell me about any of this.” 

“I had a feeling,” Seulgi sighs. “I would’ve told you sooner, but I didn’t know how to get a hold of you.” 

“Again, my apologies,” Jackson clears his throat, putting his professional voice back on. “I know it’s none of my business but—” 

“Why now?” Seulgi interrupts. “It’s fine, I don’t mind.” 

“You really don’t have to,” Jackson insists. 

“I think we both knew,” Seulgi doesn’t exactly sound sad, but it seems like she’s felt it too. “We both knew for a long time that we didn’t love each other the same way that we used to.” 

“I’m sorry about everything,” Jackson doesn’t know what else to say, and after all this time he’s finally spoken to Seulgi. “I’ll get everything taken care of, and some of your money back, at least.”

“Thank you for everything,” Seulgi’s a little quieter now, and Jackson has to turn the volume on his phone up a little bit more. “Jinyoung really appreciated the support.” 

“Take care, Seulgi.” 

She hangs up after that, and Jackson places his phone face down on the desk. If Seulgi hadn’t called him, Jackson wonders how long Jinyoung would go without telling him. He would have to find out at some point, especially if no one was going to come to the rehearsal dinner in just a few short weeks. 

Jackson lets out one long breath, and decides how to approach everything. He has to call a number of places, and the cake being first, since that was one of the easiest ones to get some of the money back from the deposit. He’s been through this a number of times, although usually Jackson is making postponements or delays, not cancelling an entire wedding.

“Yugyeom, can you help me make some calls?” Jackson asks. He gets all the numbers on file, and splits them in half for the both of them to call.

“What for?” he asks, and closes his laptop halfway. 

“Cancelling and getting back some deposits for the Park-Kang wedding,” Jackson says, and begins typing up an email onto his computer. “I’ll send you the other numbers.” 

“It’s all cancelled? No postponement?” Yugyeom asks, just to clarify everything. 

“Cancelled,” Jackson sighs. “It’s over.” 

* * *

Jackson makes a point to tell Yugyeom not to say anything when Jinyoung gets to the office. He already told him about Mark’s brother, and Yugyeom had wanted to come too, but he was already committed to helping BamBam with something. Jackson was letting BamBam borrow him, just for the evening. 

He doesn’t know how much more awkward a car ride can get. Jackson feels like the seatbelt is too tight, and the music is turned down too low. He wishes he could reach over and turn the volume up, but it’s not his place. Jinyoung is too quiet and Jackson just lets himself sit in silence to avoid bringing up the topic of the wedding. 

Jinyoung has to know that Jackson knows now, at least. Jackson’s sure that some of the places called Jinyoung just to confirm everything was cancelled. 

“So,” Jinyoung starts. “Jaebeom tell you anything?” 

“Mark texted,” Jackson replies, but he stares out the passenger side window instead. “It wasn’t too bad, they just want to keep his brother overnight to make sure everything’s okay.” 

“That’s good,” Jinyoung says, sounding a little relieved. “I brought them some food.”

“Good call,” Jackson’s still looking out the window, watching all the other cars pass by. He doesn’t want to look at Jinyoung, even if he’s busy driving. “Hospital food is disgusting.” 

Jinyoung doesn’t say anything else, and Jackson leans against the window. Jackson’s still a little antsy, not wanting to approach the other obvious subject at all. It’s cancelled, Jackson knows, and Jinyoung still doesn’t want to say anything. He can’t figure out what any of it means, or why Jinyoung keeps pushing that they have to meet under unnecessary circumstances. 

Running into each other was fine, and Jackson dealt with that. The gym turned them into work out partners, and he didn’t know how else to fit Jinyoung into his life other than friendship. That’s what Jinyoung had asked for. Jackson gave it to him, and it seems like Jinyoung isn’t even returning it. 

“We’re friends, right?” Jackson asks, breaking the silence again. 

“Is there any reason why we wouldn’t be?” Jinyoung answers with another question. 

“It’s all we are,” Jackson clarifies. “If we’re friends, you know you can talk to me, right?” 

“Of course we are,” Jinyoung laughs, but it doesn’t sound the same. “What would there be to talk about?” 

“Nevermind,” Jackson says, and tries to play it off as normal. If Jinyoung wasn’t going to budge, Jackson was going to stop trying. 

* * *

It’s better at the hospital. Jackson gets some alone time with Jaebeom, and Jinyoung talks to Mark and his family. It’s weird, because Jackson doesn’t think he’s seen any of them in the same room together at one time. 

Jaebeom had told Jackson himself that he knew Jinyoung before he ever met Mark. Jaebeom fills him in, and it seems like he and Mark have just put on a face for the time being, not wanting to include Mark’s family in on their ongoing fight. 

“Thanks for this food,” Jaebeom says, shoveling it into his mouth all at once. 

“It was Jinyoung, not me,” Jackson replies. “How is it with Mark?” he asks, and the two of them end up looking in Mark’s direction. 

Mark’s looking at them too, and Jinyoung gives a small wave. 

Jaebeom’s the only one who waves back. 

“It’s not fixed,” Jaebeom shrugs. “It’s not… We’re still figuring things out, but I’ll let you know.” 

“You’ll go home with him, then?” Jackson continues. “No more staying out?” 

“Yes,” Jaebeom answers. “I’ll go home with him, and you can stop worrying.” 

“I’m glad to hear it,” Jackson smiles, just a little, until he catches Jinyoung staring in their direction again. He sits closer to Jaebeom, and picks food off of Jaebeom’s plate, since he hasn’t had the chance to have dinner. 

“Hey,” Jaebeom pouts, and holds his plate out from Jackson. “Buy your own.” 

“Can you just—” Jackson sighs. “Did you hear about Jinyoung and Seulgi?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Jaebeom nods, and takes another bite of his food. “Jinyoung told me they broke up, like, two weeks ago.” 

It’s been almost three since the cake tasting. Jackson wonders if it happened after Jinyoung left. He hates feeling like this, that part of it was his fault that everything turned out this way.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything else, would you?” Jackson presses. “I had to hear from Seulgi that everything was cancelled. Jinyoung’s still acting like the whole thing is still happening.” 

“Haven’t you tried,” Jaebeom says, and looks up at Jinyoung, who’s still talking to Mark. “Like, communicating with him?” 

“He drove me here,” Jackson mumbles. “When I asked him about everything, he kept asking me if we need to have any more appointments.” 

“I think that answers your question,” Jaebeom shrugs. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” 

Jackson doesn’t even know what Jaebeom means, and he notices Jinyoung staring at him again. He looks a little happier, and Mark’s actually laughing at something that Jinyoung said. He turns to look at Jaebeom again, and he ends up hitting Jackson’s forehead with the back of his fork. 

“It’s obvious,” Jaebeom says again. “Can’t you tell?” 

“It’s not,” Jackson gently nudges Jaebeom’s shoulder, pushing him against the chair. “Can’t you just tell me?” 

“He won’t tell you it’s cancelled,” Jaebeom covers his mouth, as if Jinyoung could even read his lips from this far away. “And he’s asking for more appointments because he wants to spend time with you.” 

Jinyoung wanted to spend more time with Jackson. It seems silly this way, since they already had mutual friends. There was nothing else that needed to be done, and Jackson, even though he didn’t want Jinyoung to catch on, was already distancing himself. 

“That’s dumb,” Jackson scoffs. “We see each other at the gym.” 

“Yeah, but you’re avoiding him now,” Jaebeom adds. “Jinyoung told me you are.” 

“Well, if he wanted to hang out with me, why doesn’t he just ask?” Jackson lowers his voice, and only notices that Mark and Jinyoung are making their way to them. 

“I’m not going to solve both of your problems for you,” Jaebeom says, and hands Jackson his empty take out plate and container. “Now go talk to Jinyoung, or something.” 

“Fine,” Jackson tries not to sound too annoyed, especially when Jaebeom gets up from his chair to go somewhere with Mark. 

“You want to go home?” Jinyoung asks, and sits in Jaebeom’s old chair. 

“Yeah, sure,” Jackson sighs. “I’m tired.” 

* * *

Jinyoung is annoyingly nice when he takes Jackson home. He even stops somewhere to buy him take out, and walks Jackson back up to his apartment. Since Jinyoung bought enough food for two, Jackson ends up inviting him to stay over for dinner. 

Just like Jackson established at the beginning, no wedding talk was supposed to happen when they were hanging out as friends. Jackson fills the silence with talk about his family, and his brother and niece who he was supposed to fly out and visit in Australia next month. Even between weddings, Jackson managed to find time to fit in a vacation before things got busy. 

“I’ll be going after your wedding,” Jackson says dryly. “Instead of flying back home, I go from San Francisco to my vacation.” 

“That sounds nice,” Jinyoung comments. “Seeing your family.” 

“And you’ll be on your honeymoon,” Jackson replies. “Where are you going again?” 

“Jackson—” Jinyoung sighs, and Jackson sees that Jinyoung hasn’t taken a single bite out of his food. His hands are balled up into fists, and they’re resting against Jackson’s small kitchen table. “I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about the wedding off hours.” 

“This doesn’t involve planning,” Jackson tries to sound neutral, but he can’t hold it in anymore. “I spoke to Seulgi.” 

“Oh,” Jinyoung breathes out. “What did she say?” 

“She told me,” Jackson pauses, and pushes his plate away from him. He’s barely had anything to drink, and Jackson’s throat is starting to feel dry. “She told me everything.” 

“So you know, then,” Jinyoung laughs, but it’s all bitter. “I’ve just been looking like an idiot this entire time, haven’t I?” 

“Why?” Jackson asks. Jinyoung won’t look at him, and his fists are still resting against the table. He’s staring at the wall, and Jackson notices Jinyoung’s eyes tear up just a little bit. “Why keep up the charade?” 

“When Seulgi and I ended things,” Jinyoung sounds frustrated, and he still doesn’t look at Jackson. “We knew that we only entertained the idea of getting married under this sense that it would fix all of our problems, and suddenly we’d love each other again.” 

Jackson doesn’t say anything, not wanting to interrupt Jinyoung. He’s seen other couples do this before. Getting married as a last-ditch effort to save a failing relationship. Sometimes couples don’t realize it until it’s too late. 

“I realized that since everything was getting cancelled, then it meant that I wouldn’t see you anymore,” Jinyoung confesses. “I know you said we’d be friends, but ever since the cake tasting it feels like you’ve been trying to distance yourself.” 

“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Jackson asks. He still doesn’t know the answer, even after Jaebeom told him it was obvious. 

“I didn’t want to ask you because,” Jinyoung finally looks at him, and he looks so vulnerable. His eyes are wet, and Jinyoung unfists his hands. He reaches for Jackson’s over the table, but Jackson pulls back. “I’ve been in denial this entire time. If I kept pretending that if we only spent time together just because of the wedding, then I wouldn’t have to admit everything else.” 

“Admit what?” 

“That I like you,” Jinyoung confesses. “I’ve liked you this entire time, and it felt like I was going behind Seulgi’s back even though nothing ever happened between us.” 

Jackson thinks he’s been in denial, too. The crush he thought was never going anywhere, and all of a sudden everything is getting cancelled. Jinyoung isn’t getting married anymore. He still doesn’t know what feels worse. The timing, or feeling like he had a part in ending someone’s relationship. 

“We didn’t break up because of you,” Jinyoung adds, as if he could read Jackson’s mind. “We knew it was over before I even met you.” 

Jackson doesn’t know if their timing is quite right. Jinyoung is just out of a years long relationship, and Jackson is still trying to figure out what he wants. His business is his first priority, and he doesn’t know where this will go. 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it, too,” Jinyoung says quietly. 

He would be lying if he said he didn’t. Jinyoung was the kind stranger who saved him from an oncoming car. Just from that first moment alone, Jackson thinks he always knew. When Jinyoung walked into that meeting in the restaurant, Jackson still remembers the slight disappointment he felt when he realized Jinyoung was getting married. Now he isn’t, and everything is happening all at once. 

“Just give me a moment,” Jackson gets up from the table, and walks to the small living room of his apartment. It’s small, and he turns away from Jinyoung so he won’t be able to see his face. Jackson wants to hide again, but he can’t run away in his own apartment. 

Jinyoung’s chair squeaks across the floor, and Jackson can hear his footsteps approaching him. He doesn’t want to act on that same feeling in the bakery, the one where Jackson couldn’t stop looking at Jinyoung. So he tries to avoid it. If he doesn’t do anything, then the both of them can pretend that it didn’t happen and they can move on. Jackson just can’t decide if he wants it.

Jinyoung is getting closer now, and Jackson thinks he can feel Jinyoung’s hand hovering above his lower back. He could almost lean into his touch, but Jackson stops himself from doing anything. He wishes that he could pretend that Jinyoung was still getting married, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with this now. 

It’s been weeks of planning, brief meetings, and hanging out at the gym. Jackson was satisfied with friendship. It’s all he ever thought he was going to get. 

“Jackson,” Jinyoung whispers. 

“I can’t stop thinking,” Jackson says. His voice is unsteady, and Jinyoung places his hand against his lower back. It’s warm there, and Jackson still can’t bring himself to turn around. If he does, he doesn’t know if he can stop himself from acting on every impulse he’s held back over the last few weeks. 

“Then stop,” Jinyoung says, and rubs his hand against his back. “Just feel this. With me.” 

Jackson turns, almost too slowly. He’s afraid of meeting Jinyoung’s eyes because he knows he won’t be able to stop himself this time. Jinyoung’s hands are on his waist, and when Jackson is finally facing him, Jinyoung presses their foreheads together. 

He’s breathing hard. Jackson wants to let himself have it. Jinyoung brings his hands up to cup Jackson’s face. He can feel Jinyoung’s breath ghosting against his lips, and all Jackson has to do is make his move. 

“Jackson,” Jinyoung whispers right against his lips. 

He doesn’t think about anything else, and closes his eyes. Jackson holds in his breath, and finally closes the distance between them to meet Jinyoung’s lips. They’re just as soft as he imagined, and Jinyoung runs his hands up Jackson’s back to pull him in closer. It’s light at first, just gentle pecks before Jackson deepens the kiss.

It’s everything Jackson hoped for, thinking about that day back in the bakery. The frosting off of Jackson’s fingers, and when Jinyoung teased him even further by drawing attention to his lips. Jinyoung knows exactly how to move his tongue and Jackson hasn’t stopped thinking about it since. 

“C’mon,” Jinyoung hums, breaking apart from the kiss. He takes hold of Jackson’s hand, and guides them back to Jackson’s bedroom. 

It’s so different from the other night, when Jinyoung was tired with his face hot and pressed up against Jackson’s neck. Now, Jinyoung’s hands were clasped together with Jackson’s, warm and gentle as he pulled him into his room. 

“Lay down for me,” Jinyoung hums, and guides Jackson’s hips onto the bed. 

Jackson lets himself get pushed down, lying comfortably against the sheets. Jinyoung wraps his hands around Jackson’s waist, hastily undoing his belt and trying to get his pants off. 

“God,” Jinyoung laughs. “Did you really need to wear all this?” 

“Shut up,” Jackson leans his head back against the pillows, and does Jinyoung the favor of unbuttoning and taking his own shirt off. 

Jinyoung stumbles, and finally gets Jackson’s pants off. He discards them onto the floor of Jackson’s room, and Jackson pulls onto Jinyoung’s shirt collar just to feel him pressed against him. 

“Jackson,” Jinyoung groans. “You do know I still have my clothes on, right?” 

“Yes,” Jackson huffs. “But I want you.” 

“We waited all this time,” Jinyoung hums, and moves back to pull his shirt off over his head. “We can wait a bit longer,” he drawls. 

Jinyoung leaves Jackson cold again, just so he can get the rest of his clothes off. Jackson tries not to stare, but Jaebeom was right this entire time. Jinyoung is big and Jackson suppresses a whine when he feels Jinyoung’s hands pressed between his thighs. 

His hands are squeezing Jackson’s thighs, and softly running the pads of his fingers against the skin. He can feel Jinyoung’s breath against him, blowing tiny puffs of air against his upper thighs. Jackson’s so sensitive already, with his cock hard against his stomach. 

Jinyoung kisses up his thighs, and stops when he presses his lips against Jackson’s lower stomach. His mouth is so close, and Jackson tries not to buck his hips upward when Jinyoung finally gets his hands on Jackson’s cock. 

Jackson would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about this. Jinyoung’s hands, and his tongue swirling around the head of his cock. Jinyoung licks at the head again, drawing his tongue long and flat against the slit. Jackson whines, and Jinyoung finally sinks his lips further down Jackson’s cock, fully taking him into his mouth. 

“Fuck,” Jackson breathes out. 

Jinyoung starts slow, bobbing his head up and down at an even rhythm. He’s teasing him the same exact way he did at the bakery, when he slowly pulled Jackson’s fingers out of his mouth. Jinyoung’s mouth is hot and wet, and the slide of his tongue against his cock feels so good that Jackson lets out another moan. 

He’s moving faster now, with his hand slowly stroking up the base of Jackson’s cock. Jinyoung stops at the head, drawing one long lick against the slit again. 

“Just fuck me already,” Jackson says, slightly pulling onto Jinyoung’s hair. 

“I never thought you’d be this impatient,” Jinyoung hums, and slowly strokes Jackson’s cock. “Lube?” 

“In—” Jackson stutters, barely even remembering where he’s kept it all this time. “In the drawer.” 

Jinyoung reaches over in a hurry, leaving Jackson still cold and empty. Jinyoung doesn’t even bother closing the drawer, and makes himself comfortable between Jackson’s legs again. He spreads himself a little wider, letting Jinyoung fit right in between them. 

Jinyoung pushes Jackson’s thighs up against his chest, and pinning him up just for a moment. 

“Condoms?” Jinyoung asks, tracing his finger along Jackson’s taint. 

“I’m good,” Jackson says, and holds in his breath. “Unless—” 

“I haven’t since,” Jinyoung blushes, and opens the bottle of lube. “I haven’t in a long time.” 

Before Jackson can say anything else, he feels Jinyoung’s finger against him, warm and with lube between his fingers. If Jackson thought Jinyoung was a tease before, it’s even worse now. His fingers are light against his skin, softly massaging Jackson’s thigh with his other hand. 

“Please,” he begs. 

“Want to make this so good for you,” Jinyoung drawls, and circles his finger around the rim. “Don’t you want that, Jackson?” 

Jackson can’t even answer the moment Jinyoung finally pushes one finger inside him. He’s just down to the knuckle, and Jackson can’t hold up his legs.

“It’s okay,” Jinyoung coos, and slowly pushes his index finger in even deeper. “Just relax.” 

Jinyoung moves slowly again, with just one finger working him open. His other hand is still squeezing Jackson’s thigh. Jinyoung adds a second finger, and curls his fingers just enough to brush against him and make Jackson whine. 

“Sound so pretty,” Jinyoung hums. “I thought about you, like this.” He moves his fingers steadily, fucking them into Jackson before he finally adds a third finger. “What you’d look like.” 

“Fuck, Jinyoung,” Jackson leans his head back, and Jinyoung pushes his fingers in so deep that Jackson thinks he could come from just this. His cock is untouched against his stomach, and Jinyoung’s other hand against his thigh is already too much. “Just,” he sighs out. “Fuck me already.” 

“You don’t like this?” Jinyoung murmurs, and brushes his fingers right against his prostate. 

“I wanna feel you,” Jackson breathes. 

Jinyoung teases him again, and lazily pulls out his fingers. His hands are so warm, and Jinyoung circles his thumb right against the rim. He still doesn’t give Jackson anymore, and he bucks his hips down just to try to get Jinyoung to touch him the same way he did earlier. 

He uncaps the bottle of lube again, and Jackson can’t look away the moment he finally sees Jinyoung slicking up his cock. He wants to reach, to touch so badly but Jinyoung keeps one hand on Jackson’s waist, pressing him against the mattress so Jackson can’t lean forward. 

“Not yet,” Jinyoung says, and his cock lays right against Jackson’s taint. He doesn’t give, and Jinyoung holds onto Jackson’s waist, gripping hard enough to keep Jackson from moving. Jackson wraps his legs around him, and tries to pull him in closer when Jinyoung’s cock is still pressed up against his taint. 

Jinyoung lets go of his waist, and runs his hands down Jackson’s chest. He rubs the tips of his thumbs over Jackson’s nipples, lightly pinching them between his fingers. Jinyoung takes his time, letting the palm of his hand smooth over Jackson’s lower stomach as if he’s taking the time to fully admire Jackson’s body. 

“I like when we go to the gym together,” Jinyoung says, and wraps his hand around the base of Jackson’s cock. “I want to see you every day,” he hums. He barely strokes Jackson’s cock, just rubbing his thumb over the slit. 

“Jinyoung, I swear,” Jackson whines. “You’re such a tease.” 

“Isn’t that the point?” Jinyoung drawls, and grinds his cock against Jackson. He’s pressing it against the rim, and Jackson can’t even move. He tries to pull Jinyoung closer with his legs, but he’s still not getting what he wants. 

“You’re all talk,” Jackson pouts. “Are you really even that big—” 

Jinyoung just answers by finally pushing his cock inside Jackson. He’s just as slow as he is with his fingers, letting Jackson adjust to the size. He holds in his breath, and Jinyoung pushes his hips forward. 

“God,” Jackson breathes out. 

“I thought so,” Jinyoung hums. He’s fully bottomed out, and Jinyoung stops there, with his cock sitting so deep inside Jackson that he swears he can feel it in his stomach. “You good?” 

“More than,” Jackson says, still flustered by Jinyoung. “Just—” he groans, and Jinyoung finally touches his cock again. “Just  _ move _ .” 

His pace starts off uneven, still testing the waters with Jackson. It’s like he’s teasing him all over again, the slow move of Jinyoung’s hips before he snaps them back forward. Jackson runs his hands down Jinyoung’s back, still trying to pull him closer and feel every inch of him inside. 

“Move, Jinyoung,” Jackson begs, and digs his fingers into Jinyoung’s back. He seems to listen this time, and Jinyoung picks up the pace. He’s gone past being gentle, and he goes deeper on every thrust. 

Jinyoung stops touching his cock, and Jackson whines at the loss of contact. Their chests are almost pressed together, and Jackson presses his face into the crook of Jinyoung’s neck. It’s so much hotter like this, with Jinyoung’s breath hot against his neck while he steadily moves his hips. 

“Want you to fuck me next time,” Jinyoung pants, and pushes his hips forward, hard. He stops again, just to move his hips slowly while Jackson tries to reach down to touch his own cock. 

“Next time?” 

“Of course there’s a next time,” Jinyoung hums, and presses a soft kiss against Jackson’s neck. “So many,” he adds, and peppers kisses down the side of his neck. He builds up a lazy rhythm again, fucking back into him slowly. “Don’t touch,” Jinyoung warns, and Jackson stops touching his own cock. 

Jinyoung’s more intense this time, pressed up so close against him it hardly leaves Jackson any room to breathe. He’s so big, bigger than he could’ve imagined every time Jinyoung draws back and thrusts his hips back into him. Jinyoung doesn’t even have to touch him at all, when the feeling of every deep movement of Jinyoung brushing up against him is already enough to keep making him beg. He hasn’t stopped thinking about this since the day of the cake tasting, and Jinyoung makes him want more. 

“You feel so good,” Jinyoung murmurs, and Jackson drags his hands down Jinyoung’s back one more time. “C’mon, Jackson,” he hums, and Jinyoung’s hand is on his cock again. Jinyoung barely even touches him before he’s completely wrecked, coming undone between the both of them. 

“Please,” the sound he makes is barely audible, and Jinyoung steadily picks up his pace, slamming his hips forward into Jackson. Their bodies are pressed so close together, Jackson keeps pulling Jinyoung closer on every thrust. He feels more heated this time, and when Jinyoung’s pace starts to stutter, Jackson whines again. “Keep going,” he breathes. 

“Fuck,” Jinyoung pants. He moves again, this time a lot rougher and Jackson feels like he might come again. Jinyoung’s hands around him are tight enough to bruise, and he keeps fucking back into Jackson at an intense pace. 

Jinyoung’s skin is hot to the touch, the same as the day his face was warm and pressed up against Jackson’s neck when he was drunk. Jackson’s so dizzy with it, and Jinyoung finally kisses him again. It’s just as good as the first time, with the slide of their bodies together and Jinyoung slowing his pace again, rocking into Jackson and pinning him against the sheets. 

Jackson breaks the kiss just so he can catch his breath, and Jinyoung’s hips start to stutter again. His cock is still sitting so far deep inside, and Jackson wraps his arms around Jinyoung even tighter. Jinyoung doesn’t stop moving when he finally comes inside Jackson, the slow roll of his hips until Jackson can feel his come slowly dripping out of him on every move. 

Jinyoung lazily slumps on top of Jackson. He doesn’t pull back out, and Jackson clings onto him. He’s never felt so close to anyone, and it’s been a long time since Jackson let someone into his life like this. Jinyoung has given him so much, and Jackson wants everything to always be like this. 

He feels so tired already, and Jinyoung lazily pulls out. The bed is a mess, and Jackson just lays there while Jinyoung finally rolls off of him and gives him space to breathe. It’s not long before Jinyoung pulls Jackson back close to him, just so the two of them can cuddle together. 

Before he goes to sleep, Jackson nudges Jinyoung one last time. He still wants to talk, and it’s better to do it now than in the morning. 

“Jinyoung?” Jackson says, leaning back against Jinyoung’s touch. 

“Mm?” Jinyoung hums.

“Can we talk?” he asks. 

“Tomorrow,” Jinyoung says, and rests his chin against Jackson’s shoulder. 

Jackson shifts, just so he can try to look at Jinyoung before he falls asleep. Jinyoung is clinging onto him like a koala, as if Jackson’s going to run away in the middle of the night. He can feel Jinyoung’s breathing even out, and Jackson guesses he’s fallen asleep already. 

It can always wait until tomorrow, and Jackson closes his eyes and finally drifts off to sleep. 

* * *

The morning after, Jackson is the first one out of bed. He’s in the kitchen alone, putting all of last night’s dirty dishes in the sink. He lets the water run, and tries to think clearly. He’s still a little tired, and sore, so he ends up turning off the tap and sits at the table instead. It’s early, and Jackson stares down at his blank phone screen. 

Last night wasn’t a mistake. Jackson doesn’t regret it. He thinks it was just too soon. Jinyoung’s relationship just ended a few weeks ago, and even though it was long over before they officially called it, Jackson still needs a little time. He’s been working non-stop for the last year, and he just needs to clear his head. 

The last few weeks have been a lot— not just emotionally, but the toll it’s taken when he’s been constantly worried about every detail or trying not to act on his own impulse. Even though Jinyoung and Seulgi have been broken up for weeks, Jackson needs time to separate himself from the situation. He only found out yesterday, and he’s still trying to process everything.

“Good morning,” Jinyoung says, his voice low and sleepy sounding. His hair is ruffled, and he’s wearing a pair of Jackson’s sweatpants with no shirt on. Jackson smiles, just a little bit, and invites him to sit at the table. 

He looks so cute in the morning— his hair ruffled, and wearing Jackson’s clothes is enough to make Jackson think about the situation. He’d like more mornings like this, in the future when he’s ready.

“Can we talk?” Jackson asks. 

“Why does this already sound like it’s not a good thing?” Jinyoung frowns slightly, and sits at the table across from Jackson. It’s just like last night, only Jackson is sure of himself this time. 

“It’s not bad,” Jackson folds his hands across his lap, and tries not to frown. “I wouldn’t say it’s good either.” 

“If you’re going to say that last night was a mistake, then I’ll just leave now,” Jinyoung says, his tone shifting to something more bitter and cold. His arms are folded across his chest, and Jackson tries not to stare down at him. 

“It wasn’t a mistake,” Jackson admits. He pauses, and takes in a deep breath. “I just. I need some time to figure this out.”

“If that’s code for something, I don’t know what you mean,” Jinyoung sighs. “Do you like me, or not?” 

“Of course I like you,” Jackson confesses. He feels just as vulnerable as he did on his wedding day, standing at the altar waiting for someone who would never come. “I like you so much, that I’ve been burying all these feelings thinking I’d never have a chance with you.” 

“Then,” Jinyoung says, and leans against the table. “Then why?” 

“You just got out of a relationship,” Jackson answers. He hates using that excuse, but Jackson wants to make sure everything wasn’t out of impulse. They already built a close relationship over the last few weeks, and he needs distance. “If this is a sure thing, then we can wait longer, can’t we?” 

“I don’t agree,” Jinyoung says. Jackson notices how hesitant he is, fiddling with his hands to stop himself from reaching over the table. “If we knew all this time—” 

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Jackson lowers his voice, and looks down at his own hands. “Everything is just overwhelming right now. I’ve had to make cancellations, and this is too fast for me.” 

The original date of Jinyoung’s wedding was already close. Jackson spent this entire summer squaring himself away, preparing for the moment that he wasn’t going to be able to look at Jinyoung the same way again. He thought he was going to watch Jinyoung get married, but this summer has brought a lot of change and other things he didn’t expect. 

“If you don’t agree, that’s fine,” Jackson settles on saying. “I just want you to understand that if this is going to work, I need this.” 

“I’m not going to pressure you, or say that we need to stay together right now but,” the sound of Jinyoung’s voice is already too painful, and Jackson still can’t look at him. “I’ll wait for you.” 

  
  



	5. a sixpence in your shoe

Last April, Jinyoung was optimistic. He proposed to Seulgi, and she said yes. He realizes later, that both of their enthusiasm is equally faked. That’s when the both of them started to sense it. The solution to their already expired relationship. The two of them stopped being intimate a long time ago, and the night he proposed was the first time they kissed in a while other than a gentle peck on the cheek. 

When they start looking for planners, it’s just the beginning of tour season. This was only the beginning to the difficult time Jinyoung would have planning the wedding. He doesn’t know how to do anything. He doesn’t know the first thing about setting up a registry, or even where and when they’re going to get married. He doesn’t ask Jaebeom for help, even though he photographs a lot of weddings. 

Seulgi is in it for the beginning. She picks the date. The end of summer. Something close so they have no other option except to finally get married after all the years they’ve been together. She’s the one who picks the planner. Jinyoung understands that he’s going to have to do a bulk of the work, and the both of them agreed to it. No more questions asked after that. 

They meet with a few planners. None are willing to do something in such a short time period, and Jinyoung’s starting to think it’s a sign. If no one wants to help plan it, why continue with the face that the both of them are trying to put on? Jinyoung only has one more planner to meet, and he thinks that they might call it off after all. 

Before the meeting, he gets tangled up helping a stranger from being hit by a car. Something Jinyoung thinks only ever happens in movies. He’s beautiful. His cheek is scraped with blood and he just wants to help, but the man won’t let him. Jinyoung doesn’t forget his face, and when he gets to the restaurant to meet the new planner, he’s surprised to meet the same man face to face. 

After all this time, Jinyoung doesn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed that Jackson agreed to plan the wedding. If he hadn’t, Jinyoung wouldn’t have gotten to spend all the time with him that he did. There’s too many possibilities at play, and Jinyoung’s spent too much time thinking about them.

For now, Jackson is gone. He doesn’t want to be found, and Jinyoung already knows this. Jaebeom won’t tell him where he is, and Jackson’s office is already closed and rented out to someone new. BamBam took over all of Jackson’s weddings, and he hasn’t heard from Jackson since the morning after they talked. 

So Jinyoung doesn’t look. Jackson’s not ready, and Jinyoung isn’t going to pressure him. He just got out of a long relationship himself, and everything felt scary and overwhelming all at once. He didn’t realize it until Jackson said it. His former relationships, even until now, Jinyoung understands the space that Jackson needs for their future together. Jinyoung knows that he doesn’t want to rush into it, and respects the space that he needs to think about moving forward.

For the first time in years, Jinyoung gets the urge to travel. He always stayed put at home when Seulgi spent her summers on tour. On a few occasions, he traveled out to other countries to watch some of her shows, but that was before their relationship slowly started falling apart. 

The wedding was something they both talked about. After years of being together, their families pressured them into making a choice. Get married as a solution to salvage whatever relationship they had left. It was good for a few years, and Jinyoung can’t remember when it just stopped working. They’ve been together since high school. It was comfortable. They never really spent time with anyone else. Jinyoung wasn’t the type to do one night stands and Seulgi wasn’t either, so they proposed a summer where they gave each other a break, and saw other people. 

They had their good years, and Seulgi’s band started becoming more successful. Jinyoung doesn’t resent the success, but the waiting, the touring, and traveling weighed down on him a lot. They were always close, but Jinyoung thinks the distance put even more strain and they felt like comfortable friends rather than the close relationship they tried to imitate. 

Nothing between them ended on bad terms. They were friends before they ever got into a relationship, and Jinyoung thinks that’s what kept them together for so long even when it stopped being more than that. 

The last thing he wanted to do was pressure Jackson the same way that his family and everyone else pressured him and Seulgi into thinking that they needed to get married. It wasn’t going to get fixed overnight, just from some slap-on, band aid solution. Jackson was going to be worth the wait. 

After everything, Jinyoung travels. He goes to Korea to visit his parents, since they were supposed to fly in for the wedding. Plans change, and Jinyoung didn’t get back any of his money on the deposits, but it didn’t matter. He used the excuse of planning to keep seeing Jackson as long as possible. If Seulgi hadn’t told him everything, Jinyoung wonders how far he would go just to play along with the lie. 

He still remembers the day he first met Jackson on the street, after he pushed him out of the way of an oncoming car. He didn’t know then that it was Jackson he was supposed to be meeting, but Jinyoung thinks he knew from the first moment he met him that there was something more. 

His life seems to move differently without Jackson in it. For the entire time he was planning the wedding, he waited for every appointment, and waited for every moment they ran into each other at the gym. 

When Jinyoung goes back home, still with not a single text or phone call from Jackson, Jinyoung decides to wait. 

* * *

All Jinyoung has done is wait. He moves forward. He has a steady income and schedule, and Jaebeom’s still one of his only close friends in the city. They meet up as often as they can, just to hang out, or trade cameras on some occasions.

“How are you?” Jaebeom asks one day at lunch. Mark isn’t here, and Jinyoung wonders if they’ve figured things out yet. 

“I don’t know,” Jinyoung answers. “I think I’m okay.” 

“Jackson doesn’t stop talking about you, you know,” Jaebeom sighs. “Think I put a bad image in his head.” 

“Bad image?” Jinyoung asks. 

“Just that we, uh—” Jaebeom stutters. “That we hooked up a few times one summer, when Seulgi was on tour.” 

“Oh,” Jinyoung says, and looks at Jaebeom with confusion. “I don’t think that lead to a bad image, he did tell me that you said I was—” 

“Yeah, we know,” Jaebeom rolls his eyes. “You don’t need to remind me that I almost passed out.” 

“Shut up,” Jinyoung says, and leans his head against his hand. “Just tell me he’s okay.” 

“He’s doing well,” Jaebeom answers. He looks down at his phone, and Jinyoung tries not to look over the table. “Should be coming back home in a few weeks.” 

“A few _weeks_?” Jinyoung groans. It’s been three months. 

Three months since Jinyoung’s seen, heard, or talked to Jackson. He knows he should give him space, let him sort his own feelings out, because Jinyoung’s been doing the same. He can’t stop thinking about Jackson, no matter how hard he tries to get him out of his head. 

“Good things come to those who wait,” Jaebeom says, sounding a little smug. Jinyoung tries not to roll his eyes at that. 

“What about Mark, then?” Jinyoung asks. “Have you two got your shit together yet?” 

“I have a secret,” Jaebeom lowers his voice, and Jinyoung notices that Jaebeom’s toying with the piece of jewelry around his neck. “You can’t tell anyone, though.” 

“Who would I tell?” Jinyoung asks. “You and Mark are like, pretty much my only friends here.” 

“Mark took me to the courthouse one day,” Jaebeom says, and takes his necklace out of his shirt. “We signed the papers,” he shows Jinyoung the ring, and watches as Jaebeom plays with it in his hands. “Jackson’s going to kill us.” 

Jinyoung can only guess that Jackson is going to yell at Jaebeom once he finds out he didn’t get to plan them a reception party.

“What made him change his mind?” Jinyoung asks, and looks at the ring again.

The ring looks.. It looks like it’s made perfectly for Jaebeom. Jinyoung had foolishly picked wedding bands and paid for them, but he pretended to sob at the jewelers until they let him return it. Jinyoung wonders if he had gotten someone else to help plan the wedding, if the plans would’ve fell through. He could’ve been married to Seulgi right now, if the both of them hadn’t realized their true reality. 

“It’s a long story,” Jaebeom smiles. “I’ll tell you another time.” 

“That long?” Jinyoung sighs. 

“So it looks like one of us got married, and it wasn’t you,” Jaebeom laughs. Jinyoung bites down on his lip, because even if it’s a little funny, he doesn’t budge. “Sorry, was that too soon?”

“No,” Jinyoung shakes his head. He knows Seulgi’s already moved on. “Seulgi’s with Irene now. They’re pretty happy.” 

“That’s nice,” Jaebeom says, and tucks his necklace back into his shirt. “It’s good that the both of you can still be happy, after everything.” 

Jinyoung is happy. He is, for now. After all that time he spent waiting for Seulgi while she was on tour, time felt like it was stalled. There was only so much he could do, and especially if the both of them knew they weren’t in it anymore. They cared enough about each other to let each other go. 

They were still friends, and on good enough terms to talk to each other once in a while. She’s asked after Jackson, even though Jinyoung said it’s been put on pause for now. 

“Thanks, Jaebeom,” Jinyoung reaches over the table, and squeezes Jaebeom’s hand. “I’m really happy for you.” 

“Why are you thanking me?” Jaebeom says, and squeezes Jinyoung’s hand back. 

“I knew you had to let it slip somewhere,” Jinyoung answers. 

Jinyoung told Jackson that he didn’t get a recommendation from anyone. It was true. He didn’t. What Jackson didn’t know is that Seulgi went to BamBam first. Seulgi, Jinyoung, and BamBam’s first meeting didn’t go as they hoped, since the short time period didn’t work out with BamBam’s schedule. So Jaebeom gave Seulgi the name of the next best person he knew. 

He never knew that Jaebeom gave Seulgi Jackson’s name until Seulgi told him the night that they broke up. 

“You and Jackson would’ve met eventually,” Jaebeom shrugs. “I think we all know that.” 

//

Jinyoung goes to the same cafe that he ran into Jackson the day after they first met. It’s still a place that he frequents often, and works on his laptop to edit photos every so often. He’s sitting at a table by the window, and takes a break to watch the people passing by on the street. 

It’s close to Jackson’s office— his old office. He’s seen Yugyeom around, and ever since Jackson went on his brief work hiatus Yugyeom was now working with BamBam. In all this time, Jinyoung still wonders how he didn’t meet Jackson sooner. 

He wonders if things could’ve been different. 

Maybe Jackson would still be here. Maybe he wouldn’t have held onto his relationship with Seulgi long past their expiration date. He watches as a few couples walk past the window, holding hands and smiling at each other. Jinyoung’s only a little jealous, since he can’t even remember the last time he spent enough time with Seulgi to ever be that casual in their relationship. 

He hasn’t stopped thinking about Jackson. He always manages to creep back into his mind, just when Jinyoung thinks he’s finally distracted himself with his work. He leans against the cafe window, and closes his eyes. Jinyoung wishes he could’ve done that night differently. When he took Jackson back home. He wonders if Jackson thinks the sex was a mistake. 

They acted on every impulse that they denied they ever had over the course of planning the wedding. The bakery was Jinyoung’s mistake. He had no self control the moment he wrapped his lips around Jackson’s fingers, just to clean the excess frosting Jackson had wiped from his lips off with his tongue. Jinyoung didn’t even like frosting, but he liked—still likes—Jackson enough to tease him.

Jinyoung sighs, and opens his eyes again so he can pack up and finally leave the cafe for the day. He closes his laptop, and starts shoving all of his things into his bag. His coffee has gone cold, but Jinyoung still takes his cup in hand. He slings his bag over his shoulder, and when he looks out the window again, Jinyoung thinks he might be imagining things. 

Jackson walks past the cafe window, not even looking inside. He turns to look at the opposite side of the street, and Jinyoung feels like the world is moving in slow motion. Jinyoung stumbles, and leaves his coffee cup on the table when he runs out of the cafe to try and catch up with Jackson. 

His eyes are fixed to the back of Jackson’s head, and Jinyoung half runs, and half walks past a few people just to catch up. Jackson crosses the street before him, and when Jinyoung gets to the crosswalk, the cars start driving through. 

Jinyoung is stuck, and he watches as Jackson gets further and further away. As soon as the cars stop, Jinyoung starts running again. He’s not going to miss Jackson again. Jinyoung can’t see him anywhere, even though he had his eyes fixed at who he thought was Jackson. He can’t find him anymore, and the sidewalks look empty. Jinyoung’s starting to think he imagined it after all. 

He tries to catch up with his breath, and leans against the post outside of a convenience store. There’s a light sheen of sweat across his forehead, and his hair is sticking to it. He brushes his hair out of his face, and breathes out heavily. 

“Here,” a voice says. A cold water bottle is pressed to Jinyoung’s forehead, and Jinyoung takes it in his hands. 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung mumbles, and holds the water bottle against his face. 

“It’s been a while.” 

Jinyoung hums, and when he looks at the stranger who gave him the water bottle, he meets Jackson’s eyes for the first time in months. 

“Did you just—” Jinyoung’s still breathing hard, and he barely manages to uncap the water bottle. “Did you really make me run after you all those blocks the whole time?” 

“I didn’t realize until I saw some guy outside the convenience store,” Jackson replies. “I’m sorry I made you wait this long.” 

Jinyoung would’ve waited forever. It didn’t matter how much time Jackson took, as long as he still felt the same when he came back. Seeing him now was almost like he never left, and all that time was worth it. 

“You didn’t,” Jinyoung breathes out, finally managing to even himself out. He must look like a mess, and after all this time, Jackson still looks so perfect. “I swear, Jackson—” 

Jackson leans forward, and closes the distance between them. His hands are resting above Jinyoung’s hips, and Jinyoung drops his water bottle on the ground. 

“I missed you,” Jackson sighs. 

“I missed you too,” Jinyoung smiles, and wraps his arms around Jackson’s neck. He clings to him so tightly, as if Jackson’s going to leave again at any moment. 

“I’m not going to leave,” Jackson murmurs. “Not again.” 

It’s the ‘ _not again_ ,’ that sticks. Jackson wasn’t going to leave. They were going to start their future right now. 

“Good,” Jinyoung hums. He guides Jackson closer to him, finally doing what he’s waited months for again. Jinyoung is soft at first, his lips featherlight against Jackson’s. He’s about to pull away for a second, but Jackson draws him back in, properly kissing him this time. 

Jinyoung still can’t process it. Jackson is actually here, he’s back, he’s real with his soft lips pressed against his. Jackson smiles into the kiss, and wraps his hands tightly around Jinyoung’s waist, just to pull their bodies closer together. 

Jackson breaks away for a second, and presses a kiss to the corner of Jinyoung’s lips. 

“As much as I’m enjoying this,” Jackson says, and leans in to whisper into Jinyoung’s ear. “I’d rather take this somewhere else.” 

“Mine or yours?” Jinyoung says, still clinging onto Jackson. 

“Yours,” Jackson answers. “My new place is a mess.”

* * *

They crash through the front door of Jinyoung’s apartment. After he split up with Seulgi, he moved into a smaller, newer place. Jackson can’t keep his hands off of him, and Jinyoung can hardly catch his breath. Jinyoung can’t stop clinging onto him, still not entirely believing that Jackson is back with his hands all over him. 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Jinyoung manages to say in between kisses. Jackson is barely giving him room to breath, and pushes him against the door. He runs his hands through Jackson’s hair, pulling him even closer to deepen the kiss between them. 

“I—” Jackson pulls away, and Jinyoung stares down at his lips. Jackson runs his tongue along his bottom lip, and Jinyoung whines, trying to pull him back in. “Jinyoung, stop for a second,” he breathes. 

“Why,” Jinyoung pants, and grinds his hips against Jackson’s. 

“Fuck, Jinyoung,” Jackson groans, and pins Jinyoung against the door. 

“Are you going to fuck me this time, or not?” he purrs, and grinds against Jackson one more time. 

“We have to talk,” Jackson laughs, and presses his lips against Jinyoung’s neck. “I want to, so bad,” he breathes, and playfully bites his neck. 

“After, then,” Jinyoung murmurs. “Come on,” he hums, and links his fingers together with Jackson’s. 

He leads him to his bedroom, and Jackson’s squeezing onto his hand. Jinyoung doesn’t know why he feels nervous, even though it’s not their first time together. It doesn’t take long for Jackson to get his hands all over Jinyoung again, taking all of his clothes off in a hurry. Jinyoung’s so patient at this point, he just laughs when Jackson can’t get his shirt off over his head. 

“Still as impatient as ever,” Jinyoung says, and lifts the shirt off over his head for him. 

“Now I get to appreciate you,” Jackson hums, and trails his hand down Jinyoung’s chest. His pants are barely pushed down around his knees, and Jackson moves down, just to get Jinyoung to step out of them. 

“Jackson,” Jinyoung whines. “If you make me wait again—” 

It’s a sight that Jinyoung’s been waiting to see. Jackson on his knees in front of him. It reminds him of the first time that they went to the gym together, when Jackson was laying across the bench and looking up at Jinyoung. His eyes are glazed over, and Jinyoung is starting to feel like the impatient one now.

Jackson’s still on his knees in front of him, and Jinyoung runs his hands through Jackson’s hair, pulling him in closer. Jackson’s hand is already on his cock, and Jinyoung’s arms tense, stopping himself from thrusting forward into Jackson’s hand. 

“Waited so long just to get my mouth on you,” Jackson hums, and draws his tongue across the slit. Jackson goes as slow as possible, with light, long licks while he gently tightens his hold around his balls.

His hands are still in Jackson’s hair, gently pulling at the ends just to try and bring Jackson’s mouth closer to him. Jackson’s the tease now, and sinks his mouth further down onto his cock. The wet heat of Jackson’s mouth, the one that he’s waited months for, is almost too good to be true. 

Jackson gets a good pace going, and Jinyoung has to resist every urge to not thrust forward into Jackson’s mouth. He wants to take this slow and remember every second of it, trying to memorize the way Jackson’s entire body moves. 

It’s when Jackson moans with him in his mouth, that Jinyoung loses a bit of self control. He pushes his hips forward, and Jinyoung thinks he hits too deep, because Jackson pulls off within a second. 

“Fuck,” Jinyoung groans. “Jackson I’m—” 

“‘S okay,” Jackson says, still looking up at Jinyoung through his eyelashes. His eyes are wet, and Jinyoung reaches his hand to brush a stray tear off Jackson’s cheek. “Just bigger than I’m used to.” 

“Have you—” Jinyoung starts, but he’s not going to talk about this now. 

“I wouldn’t,” Jackson starts, and slowly gets up off of his knees. He rests his hands around Jinyoung’s waist, and pulls him towards the bed. “I wouldn’t because I’ve only thought about you.”

They fall together, with Jackson holding his hand and pinning him against the sheets. They fit together perfectly like this, and Jinyoung sighs happily into Jackson’s touch. He’s so warm, real, and melts into his touch and squeezes Jackson’s hand. 

“Was worth it,” Jackson hums, and lets go of Jinyoung’s hand. He kisses his way down Jinyoung’s chest, stopping with his lips pressed against his lower stomach. Jackson’s hands go down further, and further, barely even touching Jinyoung’s cock again. 

“Is this payback?” Jinyoung whines. 

“No,” Jackson smiles, and breathes a slight puff of air against his stomach. He’s sensitive enough already, and Jinyoung tries to move into Jackson’s touch. “Lube?” 

“Under—” Jinyoung stutters. “Under the pillow.” He’s probably already pink by now, and Jinyoung is embarrassed enough. He feels like it’s his first time all over again, and Jackson already has the bottle of lube in his hands, only he doesn’t open it yet. 

He’s never appreciated Jackson’s hands enough until now. Jinyoung’s always watched— especially that day at the bakery when Jackson’s fingers were in his mouth. The impulse doesn’t matter anymore, but Jackson pauses, again.

“Jackson,” Jinyoung shifts in the bed, wondering why he’s stopped. 

“I know you said next time, but,” Jackson straddles his legs over Jinyoung, and lets his hands rest against Jinyoung’s chest. “I want to ride you.” 

“God,” Jinyoung groans. “Give me the bottle.” 

Jackson hands him the bottle, and Jinyoung squeezes a small amount onto his hands. He shifts up just to get comfortable, and Jackson still lets his hands rest against his chest. Jinyoung finally gets his hands on him, and decides to tease him again. He presses one finger against the rim, and spreads his other palm out against Jackson’s cheeks. 

“Two,” Jackson breathes out. 

“At once?” Jinyoung hums, and presses another finger against his taint. He doesn’t move, not yet, and Jackson bucks his hips down onto his fingers. “You’re so easy.” 

Jinyoung is gentle, letting one hand rest on Jackson’s waist, and the other slowly pushing two fingers past the rim. Jackson lets out a whine, and Jinyoung stops right at the knuckle. He squeezes Jackson’s waist, and instead of stopping, Jackson pushes his hips down onto his fingers. 

“You good?” Jinyoung says, and curls his fingers slightly. He watches Jackson’s expression change, looking less pained and his eyes more glazed over. It makes Jinyoung dizzy to watch, just waiting for the moment until Jackson finally sinks himself down on his cock instead of his fingers. 

“More,” Jackson pants. 

Jackson is a mess, grinding himself down onto his fingers while Jinyoung keeps the same, steady pace. Jackson’s thighs already feel tense around him, and Jinyoung doesn’t know how much longer Jackson will be able to keep himself up like this. With the slow curl of his fingers, Jinyoung finally adds a third. Jackson moves, just barely meeting him every time his fingers brush up against the spot to make Jackson’s head tilt back. 

“Need more,” Jackson whines. He feels Jackson’s hand around his cock, and Jinyoung slowly withdraws his fingers. Jackson takes the lead this time, grinding back against his cock. He’s the one teasing him this time, and every time he thinks Jackson is finally going to sink down on him, Jackson lets his cock slide right past his taint. 

Jinyoung gets both of his hands firm around Jackson’s waist, so tight that his thumbs dig into his hips. He thinks he’s guiding Jackson, but this time, he slowly sinks down onto his cock. He can still feel Jackson’s thighs shake, and he hasn’t even bottomed out yet. Jackson has one hand steady against his chest, and Jinyoung lets him breathe for a second. 

“It’s okay if you’re tired,” Jinyoung coos. “It’s cute.” 

“‘M not,” Jackson says, and groans the moment he’s fully seated onto Jinyoung’s cock. If he doesn’t move, Jinyoung’s going to move again on impulse. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jinyoung says, and rubs his thumb against Jackson’s hips. “C’mon, baby.” 

“You’re just,” Jackson sighs, and slowly moves his hips up. Jinyoung guides his hips, and rocks them back down. “So big,” he groans. 

“C’mon,” Jinyoung murmurs, and keeps guiding Jackson’s hips back up and down. He’s still to slow for his liking, but the sounds Jackson makes are worth it. “Keep going, you sound so cute.” 

“Jinyoung,” Jackson whines, and rocks his hips down harder. Jinyoung wants him to keep going, tightening his grip around his waist. Jackson’s thighs are getting more tense, and the next time Jackson rocks his hips down, Jinyoung bucks his hips upward, meeting Jackson halfway. “I missed you.” 

“Me too,” Jinyoung breathes. “So much.” 

Jackson slows down again, letting Jinyoung move underneath him. He can feel how tense his thighs are, and Jackson sits back down, catching up with his breath. Jinyoung thinks he looks beautiful like this, lips slightly parted, giving all his best efforts just for him. His eyes are falling, and Jinyoung holds onto him tightly, guiding Jackson’s hips off of his cock. He only pulls out for a moment, and flips Jackson onto his back. 

Jackson almost yelps, and Jinyoung groans when Jackson’s already trying to guide his cock back inside of him. 

“I thought you were tired,” Jinyoung hums, and slowly pushes his cock back inside of him. He goes deeper, and he watches Jackson close his eyes and press his hand against his chest. He’s a little lazier this time, with the slow rock of his hips while Jackson keeps making soft, breathy noises. 

“Move,” Jackson pleads. 

Jinyoung still takes it slow, grinding his hips back into him. He tries to remember every curve of Jackson’s body, the same way they were together all those months ago. Jinyoung’s hand is soft against Jackson’s cock, timing his strokes evenly. 

He builds up his rhythm, moving quicker at every thrust. Jackson’s already leaking onto his hand, and Jinyoung stops touching him. He wonders how sensitive Jackson is, watching the expression on his face switch between pleasure and pain. 

“So good, baby,” Jinyoung says, and presses a light kiss under Jackson’s jaw. 

“So big,” Jackson groans again. Jinyoung slows his pace, just a little bit, and Jackson only wraps his legs around him tighter. He does deeper this time, just to test Jackson’s limits, and he watches as Jackson’s eyes fall. The whine that comes out of Jackson’s mouth sounds so sweet to his ears, and Jinyoung presses his lips against his neck. 

“Too much?” Jinyoung murmurs. He does it again. He’s more intense the slower he goes, hitting Jackson deeper on every move. 

“Not enough,” Jackson breathes out, and Jinyoung reaches down to touch his cock again. Jinyoung can feel how sensitive he is, and rubs his thumb over the head of his cock. He pushes his hips, deeper, and on the second stroke of his hand, Jackson’s spilling white between both of their stomachs. 

“Cute,” Jinyoung hums, and runs his finger against Jackson’s stomach. He brings it up to Jackson’s mouth, and smears it across his lips. Jackson swipes his tongue slowly across his bottom lip, and Jinyoung doesn’t even think. He just wants to taste Jackson, and closes the distance between their lips. Jackson’s mouth parts easily for him, and this time Jackson’s the one who’s pulling, making Jinyoung dizzy just from his mouth. 

His hips stutter, and Jinyoung’s pressed up so close to Jackson. He pulls his mouth away just so he can breathe, and Jackson’s soft noises keep going right to his ear. Jinyoung slams his hips against him one last time, feeling him brush against the right spot. Jackson’s head tilts back, and Jinyoung finally spills wet and hot inside of him. He’s chest to chest with Jackson, and he can feel the rise and fall of Jackson’s chest. 

“I like this,” Jackson hums, and rubs his hand down Jinyoung’s back. “You make everything worth it.” 

“I want to keep hearing your voice,” Jinyoung says, low and quiet. He shifts, and doesn’t move to pull out. After all these long months, nothing was compared to hearing Jackson now, between the two of them in their most private moments. 

“You’ll have plenty of time,” Jackson teases, and brings his hands to the back of Jinyoung’s neck. It tickles a little, and Jinyoung tries not to move again. He’s comfortable like this, and he hopes Jackson is too. “Want to stay like this with you.” 

“It’s a good thing we’ll have a lot of time, then,” Jinyoung presses his lips against Jackson’s skin again, the softest part of his neck. He inhales, and Jackson’s never smelled so good. It’s better than he remembered. 

Jinyoung shifts and pulls out of Jackson. He groans when Jinyoung finally rolls off of him, and makes himself comfortable right behind Jackson. He presses his face against Jackson’s shoulder, and closes his eyes. He hopes Jackson is still here in the morning, because that’s all that matters. 

* * *

The morning after is different. Jinyoung still remembers when he woke up alone, just a few months ago after their first time. Jackson is still here, and Jinyoung has his arms wrapped around him to prove it. He’s real, he’s solid, and he’s not going to leave again. He’s warm, and Jinyoung lets his hands trail down Jackson’s body, and stops at his waist to pull him closer. 

Jinyoung wants more mornings like this. It doesn’t matter how long it’ll take for them to move in together, but Jinyoung will always wait until Jackson is ready. He rubs his thumb against Jackson’s waist, and kisses the back of Jackson’s head. 

“Mm,” Jackson hums sleepily. “It’s early.” 

“I know,” Jinyoung says, and rubs his thumb against Jackson’s skin. “I missed you.” 

“You said that already,” Jackson mumbles, and shifts back against Jinyoung. “I missed you, too.” 

“I just wanted to hear you say it back again,” Jinyoung replies, and presses his lips against Jackson’s shoulder. 

“I’m late,” Jackson says quietly. 

Jinyoung remembers his lunch with Jaebeom. He said that Jackson would be back in a few weeks, but it took a little bit longer than that. Jinyoung didn’t mind at all. 

“You weren’t late,” Jinyoung cuddles Jackson closer to him, and kisses his shoulder again. “You were right on time.” 

The timing has always been off. Jinyoung met Jackson when he was engaged. Jackson was supposed to plan his wedding. Now, they’re finally together. It feels right this time, and the morning feels so much sweeter.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either,” Jackson’s voice is quiet, and he unwraps himself from Jinyoung’s arms. He shifts again, just so he can properly face Jinyoung. “I didn’t mean to run away, or anything,” Jackson looks a little sad, and Jinyoung just brings his hand up to Jackson’s face, and softly strokes his cheek. 

“You didn’t run away,” Jinyoung says. “I think I needed that time, too.” 

Jackson was right about the space— the time they spent together during the wedding planner was within such a tight schedule, he began to wonder if it was their situation that brought them together. Jaebeom had already told him— they would’ve found a way to meet eventually. The distance just made Jinyoung like him even more. 

“With Seulgi, it’s like we were both settling for something we knew was just superficial,” Jinyoung explains. “I think the more time I had to think about it, all the decisions that we made, and what had happened—” 

“I understand,” Jackson nods. “I know.” 

“I still feel a little guilty,” Jinyoung admits. “Even though we never did anything physically, it still felt like cheating. I liked you. I still do.” 

The guilt, even though they knew his relationship was long over, still sat in Jinyoung’s heart. Jinyoung needed the time to take it in, and the space Jackson asked for was something that they both needed to move forward.

“I did too,” Jackson sighs. “I think that’s why I needed to distance myself for a bit. I know you worked things out, and you’re still friends but,” he pauses, and Jinyoung knows that look. “It took awhile for the guilt to go away.” 

Jinyoung thinks it doesn’t matter how long it took. The tight schedule for the wedding may have pushed things further into a direction they didn’t expect, but he didn’t think he’d ever get here. Seulgi told him he didn’t need to feel guilty, because she felt the same way with Irene. 

It’s not love. Not yet. Jinyoung likes Jackson, and he wants to see where this will go. It’s only the beginning. They have the rest of their lives to figure it out. A few months of waiting was nothing compared to the time they were going to spend together. He just wants to be with Jackson as long as he’ll let him. 

“Do you remember that day, at the beach?” Jinyoung asks. 

“When I threw my phone into the ocean?” Jackson smiles. “Yeah.” 

“You said you weren’t looking for a happy ending,” Jinyoung continues. He watches Jackson’s face, and his expression doesn’t change. “Do you still feel that way?”

“I wasn’t looking for one,” Jackson admits. “Then you literally came stumbling into my life.” 

“I pushed you out of the way of a moving car,” Jinyoung says, and brushes Jackson’s hair away from his eyes. “I think I stumbled on to you.” 

“I don’t think it’s necessarily an ending,” Jackson holds Jinyoung’s hand against his face, and Jinyoung can feel the warmth of his hand seep through. “But I know we can both be happy. Together.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> feel free to come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/peachzoned) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/peachzoned)


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